Run Baby Run
by gibbsrossi
Summary: Parker does a job for Archie which goes wrong. Nate is the only one around to help her at the time, now both of them are in trouble. Can the rest of the team find and help them, and will Nate be able to keep himself and Parker alive until they do. Teamfic with usual N/S and some P/H.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**This is for YeahLev who gave me the inspiration for this story. I hope you enjoy it.**

"Parker…" Nate called out as he pulled the car up at the curb.

Parker ran for the car jumping in and telling Nate to go. Nate did not ask questions he floored the accelerator and with wheels squealing he pulled away. The reason for the haste became clear as gunshots rang out and bullets bounced of the back of the car one breaking the back window as both he and Parker ducked instinctively. Nate saw in the rearview mirror that a car had pulled off, a black SUV and was tailing them with somebody shooting wildly at them as they raced to catch up.

"What the hell Parker…?" Nate asked as he sped along the deserted streets of the industrial area near the docks.

"I'll explain later…go faster Nate…" Parker said coolly as she watched the SUV gain on them.

"I'm trying…" Nate gritted out as another barrage of bullets hit the car. Nate swung the car to the left the back of the vehicle sliding as he fought the wheel getting the vehicle under control again and he sped down the little alley he had turned into. The SUV followed behind bullets still flying as they came. Suddenly out of nowhere a truck started to reverse into the narrow road they were on and Nate seeing his chance once again pushed the little car into the red and narrowly made his way around the truck before it blocked the road completely stopping the SUV from following. He did not however slow down as he pulled away into the darkness and away from the danger.

Once he felt they were far enough away with no sign of pursuit, Nate slowed down and looked at the blonde woman beside him.

"Ok Parker what is going on?" Nate asked. He had been awakened by a call from her. She had told him she was in trouble and that she needed him to come pick her up. He had wondered why she had not called Hardison or Eliot, or even where they were.

"I got into a little trouble." Parker said simply.

"I can see that Parker…" Nate said exasperatedly. "What kind of trouble?"

"Ok…" Parker said taking a deep breath. "Archie asked if I would help out with a…a problem a friend of his was having. You know the usual…"

"No Parker I don't know." Nate said glancing over at the woman and raising his eyebrows at her.

"Well he kinda lost something and he wanted it back…so I came here to get it back for him." Parker said.

"Who is this friend of Archie's?" Nate asked.

"Bogden Jovitch." Parker said softly.

"Seriously…?" Nate said slamming on the brakes of the car and halting it in a flood of dust as he pulled it off the road. "And what did he loose?"

"This…" Parker said taking out a little statue from the bag that was slung around her shoulder.

Nate looked at it and then took it examining it closely. "It doesn't look very old or valuable." Nate said confused as to why such an object would warrant the kind of attention it had garnered.

"I know right…" Parker said looking at the object. "But those guys seemed to get very angry when I took it, I was in and out without a hitch but then something happened and they were on to me."

"Who did you steel it from?" Nate asked.

"I didn't steel it I was returning it to it's rightful owner..." Parker said indignantly and then seeing the look on Nate's face she continued. "I don't know his name but he has a large boat docked in the harbor, lots of security. They spoke Russian, I think they may be Mobsters..."

"The Russian Mob…you went up against the Russian Mob." It made sense. Bogden Jovitch was rumored to be one of the most powerful members of the Russian Mob in the US. But it was unusual for mobsters to steal from each other and for them to use outside parties to reacquire their stolen merchandise. He knew Archie was very active in Moscow and he probably had dealings with these guys. But to send Parker in on her own was…well irresponsible at best, not that Nate was surprised, he was however surprised that Parker had not learnt that they did not do things on their own anymore, especially things like this.

"Where is Archie now?" Nate asked the Thief. He was going to have a few words to say to the man when they met again.

"He said I should meet him at a little diner just outside of town." Parker told him. "I wouldn't have called but well they kind of had my getaway car under surveillance." Parker explained.

"Where are Hardison and Eliot?" Nate asked still wondering why she had called him and not either one of the other two.

"They went on a 'boys weekend'." Parker told the Mastermind. The crew was between jobs and the last one had been a little heavy so Eliot had decided that they all needed a break. Parker was not particularly interested in going away so he decided it was time for him and Hardison to go fishing, real fishing not the kind Hardison liked to do in the comfort of his home on a computer. Parker had agreed to stay and keep an eye on things around the microbrewery.

"I see…" Nate said. "Well we better get out of here before those guys catch us up." Nate said starting the car and pulling out into the road.

They arrived at the diner thirty minutes later to find it deserted. The sign said 'twenty four hour service' but there was absolutely no movement and although there were two cars parked outside, one of which being the one Archie was driving according to Parker, it seemed oddly quiet.

"I don't like this…" Nate said as he pulled the car up and switched the engine off. He was still straining to make out any movement when Parker opened her door and climbed out. "Parker…" He hissed at her.

"Archie's in there…" Parker said and without waiting for him she moved lithely towards the diner disappearing into the darkness. Nate cursed and climbed out the car following her at a brisk pace. He caught her just as she was about to enter and grabbed her arm holding her back.

"Careful Parker…" He said moving in front of her and pushing the door open. The squeak of the door sounded loud and eerie in the quiet of the night. He stepped into the diner and then moved forward quickly towards a body that was lying on the floor. It was Archie and he was bleeding badly.

"Archie…" Parker cried out when she too caught sight of her friend and 'father' lying in a pool of blood.

"Ppp..aa…rker…" The old man managed to get out as both Nate and Parker fell to their knees beside him.

"It's ok Archie we'll get some help…" Nate told the man reaching for his phone. This had not happened long ago and he could see that there were two other bodies behind the counter.

"No…" Archie said grabbing hold of Nate and pulling him down towards him. "Get her out of here Ford…" He said his voice coming in short bursts as he gasped for breath.

"I am not leaving you Archie…" Parker said hearing Archie telling Nate to take her out of there.

"Ford…run…" Archie gasped out blood trickling from his mouth as he struggled to speak.

That was when they were interrupted by a deep voice speaking Russian. Nate closed his eyes and carefully took out his phone turning it off in case Sophie or anybody else called. He needed the phone to be found by the team, and he had no doubt they would find it, then he dropped it into Archie's pocket. He met Parkers eyes and spoke to her silently, instructing her to get the little statue into Archie's pocket too. This had something to do with that statue and if they got their hands on it then he and Parker were as good as dead. Nate then stood and turned to face the large man who stood a little way away from him. Nate looked him up and down and then looked at his companion who was just as big and imposing as his friend. He raised his hands up drawing their attention to him giving Parker time to get rid of the article.

"I don't speak the language…" He said.

"You have the statue…?" The man said in broken English. Nate shrugged and smiled at him turning his head slightly to see if Parker was ready for any move he made. The woman was still kneeling beside Archie who had now breathed his last, his eyes staring up sightlessly at the ceiling.

"I don't know what you are talking about, we just came in for a cup of coffee and…" Nate said sweeping his hands across the room. He was looking for an out, some weapon he could use on the man in front of him. That was when three others stormed into the diner stopping at the sight of Nate and Parker.

"That's them…" Parker whispered to Nate.

Nate sighed heavily and looked at the now five men facing him.

"Really…" Nate said as the first man stepped forward after being told something by one of the new comers and before he could say any more he felt a heavy blow to this head and then complete blackness.

"Nate…" Parker shouted out as she saw the Mastermind fall, but the man standing before her caught her and grabbed her tightly too him. She fought for all she was worth to get free until she too felt a heavy blow and then nothing.

"Check them…" The smaller of the two new comers said casting his eyes around the diner. His friends searched Nate and Parker for weapons and for the statue. They found Parker's mobile and threw it on the floor along with some of the other things she had on her.

"Witnesses…" The man asked looking to the large man who had disposed of Nate. The man shook his head and smiled.

"Bring them…" The small man said turning and leaving the diner. The others followed him carrying the unconscious bodies of Nate and Parker.

**So that is the start of the new story. I hope you are all going to enjoy it. Please let me know what you all think of the first chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was late on Sunday afternoon and Sophie had been waiting at the airport for fifteen minutes for Nate to arrive to pick her up. She had tried calling him but his phone went straight to voice mail and she was starting to get worried. Nate knew she was coming back from her visit with Tara and he was never late in picking her up. She tried his phone again but got no joy. Sighing heavily she called a cab and after loading her luggage she set off for home. As they drove along she dialled Eliot's number to find out if he knew where Nate might be but his phone too went straight to voice mail. What was going on she thought to herself, a knot of worry starting to develop in her stomach. She tried Hardison and then Parker and finally Eliot again but got no response from any of them.

Arriving at her and Nate's apartment she quickly went upstairs to find the apartment empty and quiet. Moving through to the bedroom she found the bed unmade and it looked like Nate had dressed in a hurry and left. It was not like the man. He liked things in order, neat and tidy. Now Sophie was well on her way to panic as she dialled Eliot's number for the umpteenth time still with no result. After tipping the doorman who had brought her bags up she quickly wrote a note for Nate telling him she was home and going to the brewery in case he returned while she was out and then grabbed her stuff and left.

Eliot and Hardison entered the brewery at around the same time as Sophie arrived home.

"Man that is the last time I let you take me 'fishing'…" Hardison said complaining bitterly and scratching his neck as he spoke. "There were more bugs out there than fish and…"

"Oh stop complaining Hardison…" Eliot told the Hacker, the man had not stopped complaining since they had arrived at Eliot's favourite fishing spot. The fact that they had had to hike five miles to the campsite and then set up camp had a lot to do with it. Hardison was not an outdoorsy sort.

"You said you had a cabin and it would be fun…" Hardison said his voice pained. "You said nothing about tents and bugs and dirt and…" Hardison continued on as they walked through the brewery into Leverage HQ at the back. Eliot just smiled and let the Hacker ramble on.

"Fine…ok…I won't take you fishing again…" Eliot said dumping his kit as he entered the offices. "Happy…"

"Whatever man…" Hardison said waving his hands around. "Did I mention that there was NO SIGNAL and I mean nothing man, no phone, no internet…no…"

"Dammit Hardison shut-up!" Eliot finally said. He had had nothing but complaining from the Hacker since they had left that morning, in fact for the entire weekend, that was why they were coming back today instead of Monday morning as planned.

Hardison stopped speaking and looked at Eliot. He saw that he was very close to pushing the Hitter a little too far so he smiled and turned his attention to something else. He wondered where Parker was, she should have come bouncing out to see them, and especially him he thought wryly. They had not seen each other for four days now and he missed her.

"Parker…" He called out as Eliot went to the fridge and took out a beer falling onto the sofa and taking a long drink. "Where do you think that girl is…?" Hardison asked shaking his head as he too headed towards the fridge for some orange soda.

"Don't know…" Eliot said flicking on the television and tolling the sports channels looking for something to watch. It had been a long day.

Hardison shook his head again and made a quick tour of the offices including the crash pads at the top of the stairs. Parker was nowhere to be found and Hardison returned to also collapse onto the sofa.

"She ain't here man…" Hardison said sadly disappointed that his girlfriend was not there to greet him.

"Well we were only supposed to come back tomorrow." Eliot reminded him.

"Oh yeah…" Hardison said feeling a little better, Parker hadn't forgotten about him after all.

"Eliot…" Sophie called as she entered the offices. Eliot immediately had a tingling down his back on hearing the tone of her voice. The way she said his name…he knew this woman and he could tell that she was worried about something.

"Sophie…is everything all right?" He asked getting up to greet her.

"No. Where is Nate?" She asked putting her bag down on the table and turning towards the Hitter.

"Nate…I don't know, where is he supposed to be?" Eliot asked not quite understanding question.

"Picking me up from the airport for one…" Sophie said her voice told Eliot she was more afraid something had happened to the man than angry he had forgotten to pick her up, that meant something else had happened.

"He forgot you…?" Hardison said incredulously. Nate Ford was a braver man than he was.

"No Hardison he did not forget me. Nate never forgets…something must have happened." Sophie said now looking at the Hitter as she continued. "I got home and the place was a mess, the bed was not made and it looks like he left in a hurry, he left his wallet and his watch behind too… I tried to call him but his phone just goes to voice mail."

"Hardison…"

"On it man…" Hardison said already putting a trace on Nate's phone. "No man it's off and even I can't trace a phone that's off." Hardison said. "But maybe I can see where he last used it…" He said pressing more buttons. "Ok, he last had his phone on here…" Hardison said then pressed more buttons to get the relevant information. "Ok…a little diner just outside town."

"When?" Eliot asked.

"Ahh…that would be two am Saturday morning…" Hardison said his brows knitting in confusion. "What the hell was Nate doing at a diner the other side of town at two o'clock in the morning?" He asked looking up at Eliot.

"I don't know but I am damn well going to find out." Sophie said picking up her bag and making for the door followed closely by Hardison and Eliot.

"I'm going to call Parker, we may need her." Hardison said. He dialled the number but found it went straight to voice mail and his stomach sank. Nate's phone went straight to voice mail. He quickly did a search and found that Parker last had her phone on at the same diner as Nate and at the same odd time.

"Shit…" Eliot said starting to run towards the car along with the other two when Hardison shared the news with them. Parker and Nate were in trouble, deep trouble and they were alone.

**Thank you all for the great reception to the first chapter of the story. I really appreciate all the reviews and thank you to everybody who has followed or favorited the story. **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Nate came back to consciousness to find himself lying with his head on Parker's jacked in a darkened room. He took a few minutes to scan the room he found himself in. It was bare of any furniture or anything else really. He realised he must have been out for a few hours as he registered that the only light in the room was coming from a small round window which was letting in the first rays of the morning sun. He continued to scan the room his eyes coming to rest on Parker who sat hunched in a corner.

"Parker…" He grunted out as he pushed himself into a sitting position. His head was killing him and he felt a little queasy. Either he was dizzy by the effort or the earth was moving. Then he realised they were on a boat, it must be the yacht Parker had stolen the Statue from.

"Easy Nate…" Parker said up in a flash and at his side. He looked up at the young woman and saw the unshed tears she held in them for Archie.

"I'm sorry Parker…" He said softly laying his hand gently on her shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault Nate, it was mine." Parker said her voice quivering slightly. "I…if I hadn't got caught…if…"

"Parker don't do that." Nate said taking the young woman's hand and squeezing it gently. "Parker…" He said as she looked away from him to hide her emotions. "Parker look at me." He said firmly. She turned to face him trying desperately to control her emotions. "They knew about Archie…whoever 'they' are…they must have, they didn't follow us there, they were there before us. Archie was betrayed by somebody, and so were you."

"I'll kill them." Parker said and Nate felt a shiver down his spine.

"Later Parker…" He said softly bringing her attention back to him. "How long have we been here?"

"Don't know…but I would say about three hours." Parker replied.

"Anybody been in to see us?"

"Not since I woke up."

"Ok…well they haven't really left us with anything to work with here have they."

"No, and I tried the door but it's latched from the outside, I can't pick it." Parker told him.

"So we wait." Nate said. He looked up to the oval window at the top of the cabin. Parker would be able to fit through it, he wouldn't but she definitely could.

Nate thought about their position and any hope of rescue. Well first of all nobody knew about this little stunt of Parkers. Secondly Sophie was only due back on Sunday from her visit with Tara.

"When were the boys due back…?" Nate asked hopefully.

"Only Monday morning..." Parker told him. Nate sighed at that. It meant that they would only be missed, either one of them, a full two days from now. As it happened though, they had no visitors. They were left alone for the rest of the day and well into the next before the door to the cabin opened and one of the large men from the diner stepped into the room.

"You…" One of them said pointing at Nate. "Come…" He said waving his arm to emphasis the instruction.

Nate nodded and stood up walking towards the man. He saw Parker from the corner of his eye, she was like a snake, coiled and ready to strike. But that would do nobody any good so he shook his head as he caught her eye. She frowned slightly but nodded in response allowing Nate to exit the cabin followed by the goon. Then the latch was lowered again and she was left alone.

Nate was escorted a short distance down the narrow passageway of the yacht they were on and into a large luxuriously outfitted cabin. He was pushed forward to stand in front of the man who sat sprawled out on one of the comfortable sofa's sipping on a glass of whiskey.

"Ah, I am sorry for keeping you waiting, you see I was on other business. Now tell me Nate…yes I believe that is what your lovely companion called you isn't it?" He said seeing the surprise on Nate's face that he knew his name. "Tell me, where is my Statue." The man said as he downed the last bit of whiskey left in his glass, then stood walking up to Nate and stopping just before him.

"Look like I told your man there…"

"Don't waste your breath lying to me. I know that your companion slipped onto my boat and took the statue. I also know that you did not have time to give it to the man who hired you to do this thing. So I ask you again, where is my Statue?" The man said, his voice was cold and devoid of all emotion.

"I don't have it." Nate stated honestly.

"I know that, if you did my men would have found it." The man said disdainfully. "You are wasting my time, tell me where the Statue is now." He said and Nate could tell he was starting to lose his cool. He could also read the man. If they had found the Statue on either him or Parker they would both be dead by now and as soon as he had it, he would kill them both.

"If I give it to you, what guarantee do I have that you will let me and my friend go?" Nate asked.

"Oh there are no guarantees. I will tell you that if you do not tell me, then I will guarantee you a world of pain, for you and your lovely companion. I can tell you have feelings for her…" The man said and then when Nate did not reply immediately his eyes narrowed and he nodded imperceptibly to his two men who grabbed Nate's arms holding him tightly. "I am out of patience Nate…" The man said stepping back slightly and removing his jacket. The he turned suddenly and sank his fist into the Mastermind's solar plexus causing the wind to be knocked out of him. If he had not been held up by the two men he would have collapsed to the floor. "Tell me where my Statue is…" He said as he swung his open hand at Nate connecting with his face and cutting his cheek open with the large ring he wore.

"If I tell you, once you have the thing you will kill me." Nate hissed at him getting his breath back and drawing himself upright to stare into his attackers' eyes.

"If you do not I will kill you, only slowly." The man assured him with a smile.

"I was going to get paid a lot of money for the job." Nate said looking defiantly at the man, he needed to show the man he was not afraid of him, he was sure the man would not kill them until he got his Statue. This man thought they had been hired by Archie to do a job and he was going to allow him to carry on believing it.

The man burst out laughing as he turned away from Nate. Then he turned at lightning speed sinking his fist into Nate's midriff once more taking the Mastermind's breath away again. He waited for Nate to start breathing normally again and lift his head before he landed another blow to Nate's face splitting his lip open.

"You would extort money from me for my own property? You have ball's Nate…" The man said watching as Nate's knees buckled and the only thing holding him up were the two men who stood to each side of him. "I respect that…I believe that you deserve something for that. So how about this arrangement…you tell me where my Statue is, retrieve it for me and I will let your companion go, unharmed."

"And once you have the Statue?" Nate asked.

"Then I will kill you." The man said without hesitation. "Don't look so surprised Nate, I cannot allow somebody who stole from me to walk away. Give me my Statue and I will let the woman go and I promise you a quick and painless death. Don't give me my Statue and…" The man left the consequences of that to Nate's imagination. Nate thought quickly and then sighed heavily before answering.

"If I agree to this, then you need to let her go before I take you to the Statue." Nate said hoping he would be able to secure Parker's freedom first.

"Oh no…no…no…" The man said shaking his head at the suggestion. "Then what would I have to hold over you?" He asked. "No, give me my Statue and I will let her go, unharmed, you have my word."

"I don't believe you." Nate said.

"Oh well…" The man said with a heavy sigh. "I was hoping to be able to settle this like gentlemen, without involving the young woman…but have it your way." He said then turned to another man standing in the corner of the cabin. "Fetch the girl." He instructed and Nate immediately stiffened. He could not allow Parker to be harmed, he would do anything to prevent that and even though he did not believe a word this man said, he had to stall, he had to buy them time.

"Wait…wait…" Nate said in a defeated voice.

The man held up his hand and his goon stopped. Then he turned to Nate.

"Nate…?" He asked smiling at the Mastermind as he saw the look of defeat on the man's face.

"I will take you to the Statue." He said softly. "Just leave her alone."

"Good man Nate…" The man said stepping towards Nate and patting his face lightly. "Good decision."

"I am going to need her to retrieve the thing." Nate told the man coming up with an idea.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because it is in the county Morgue..." Nate said softly.

"Oh…very cleaver…" The man said realising what Nate must have done. "You sent it to the morgue with the body of your employer." The man looked at Nate with new respect.

Nate nodded in agreement and smiled at the man lopsidedly. If he could play the man, get him to trust him, like him even, then he could get them in a position to get away from him.

"How negligent of my men not to search the man before brining you here, they could have spared me so much trouble." He said and his men cringed at the tone in his voice. He was obviously not pleased with them.

"Well it's hard to get good help nowadays…" Nate said sarcastically.

"That is true Nate…so very true." The man said nodding his head. Then he looked up at the Mastermind. "Perhaps you and I could come to another arrangement that would not require your death."

"Like what?" Nate asked.

"Well if you worked for me…to pay off your…indiscretions, we could come to an arrangement I am sure, I could use a resourceful man such as yourself."

"Sounds like a deal I could LIVE with…" Nate said emphasising the word live and brining a smile to his captors face.

"You are very smart Nate…very cleaver in deed. Archie Leech made a good deal hiring you." The man said still smiling at Nate.

Nate watched the man and then saw something in the man's eyes that made his hair stand on the back of his neck. The man was playing with him, leading him on…but why?

"We can get the Statue for you now…" Nate said trying to push the man. He needed them off the boat, then they would have a chance to escape.

"I don't think so Nate…" The man said pouring himself another glass of whiskey his back turned to Nate.

"I don't think the Statue is at the morgue at all, I think your little lady in there knows where the Statue is and I think she can retrieve it for me, after all she is the one that took it so don't you think she should be the one that gives it back to me."

"I said I would get it back for you…" Nate said feeling like the situation was getting out of control.

The man then put the whiskey and walked up to Nate coming to stand directly in front of him again. Nate was still being held by the two goons who tightened their grip on him.

"Now I think she may need some motivation to…want to give it back to me." The man whispered as he leaned forward placing his mouth next to Nate's ear. Then he moved his hand forward and Nate's eyes went wide with surprise and pain. The man withdrew his hand which was now covered with a sticky red liquid.

"What…" Nate stammered as his brain registered what had happened.

"Oh don't worry Nate…" The man said. "You won't die just yet. In fact you have quite a few long hours left in you. I am very good with a knife…" He said picking up his whiskey again after wiping his hand on a towel that was given to him.

"Take him back to the cabin. Make sure the woman is very aware of his injury…allow her some time, then bring her here." The man instructed the goons. They both nodded and then started dragging Nate back to the cabin.

Parker heard them approach and moved back from the door ready for anything. She was worried about Nate, he had been gone a long time. The door opened Nate's body came through the door to land unceremoniously on the floor. Parker was immediately at his side and her eyes went wide when she saw the blood on his shirt and the paleness of his skin.

"Nate…" Parker gasped putting her hand to the wound.

"It's ok Parker…" Nate said. "It's not bad…"

"What did you do…?" She hissed turning to the two big men.

Nate grabbed her arm and pulled her down to him. "Parker don't…don't do anything stupid please." He whispered urgently. "You need to get out of here and get us some help. Play along with him Parker and take your chance."

"I am not going to leave you here Nate…like this…" Parker said keeping her voice as low as his.

"It's our only chance…" Nate said softly. "I'll be alright for a while…you have to get the others and then come and get me. Take you chance Parker please…"

"Nate…" Parker said and then she was pulled away from the Mastermind by one of the goons.

"Parker…please…" Nate said looking into her eyes and trying to make her understand that if she did not do it his way they would both be dead.

Parker kept her eyes on the Mastermind as they pulled her from the room, her eyes were clouded with tears and just before she was taken from the room she nodded at Nate, telling him she would do as he asked.

Parker was taken to the cabin where the man waited for her. He watched as his two goons dragged her into the cabin. Her hands were red with Nate's blood and he smiled at her as she fought the hold of the two men.

"Such a feisty woman…" The man said running his hand over her cheek. "I like that."

"I will kill you." Parker hissed at him.

"Oh I am sure you would if you could." The man agreed with her. "For now you are going to get me back my Statue. If you don't then your friend Nate will die…" He said and he saw the flicker of fear in Parker's eyes at that statement. "I would say he has maybe four hours before the end will come, slowly and painfully. You have that long to bring me the Statue."

Parker did not respond to him she just stared at him with hatred in her eyes. She had lost one father figure already today, she was not going to lose Nate. She would do whatever it took to get him back.

"Now you will carry this with you at all times, if I lose track of you…then Nate dies. Do you understand?" He asked and waited for her to reply. When she did not he slapped her across the face her head whipping to the side. "I asked if you understood."

Parker nodded not trusting herself to speak right then.

"Good. Now Anatoli here will accompany you to retrieve the Statue. I do not believe it should take you longer than say…an hour?" He said looking at Parker and tilting his head to one side smiling at her. "If you are not back in that hour, well I will have to visit Nate…every hour after that I will do the same until there is no longer a reason to…visit him…" He continued. "Bring the Statue back and I will let you take him and leave. Tell me you understand."

"I understand…" Parker said through clenched teeth.

"Excellent." The man said. "I suggest you go." He said nodding to the man named Anatoli.

Anatoli pushed Parker in front of him out and onto the deck of the boat and then down the gangplank. The man watched them go. He was taking a chance but he read people very well and he could tell the woman cared for his injured captive. She would bring him the Statue in the hope of saving him. He watched as the Thief and his man climbed into the black SUV and drive away, then he went back into his cabin and sat down with a glass of whiskey.

**Thank you all for the reviews…I hope you are all enjoying the story. So will Parker be able to get away from Anatoli? Will she be able to reach the others and get help for Nate? What will the man do if Parker does not return?**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

They arrived at the diner to find the door sealed with police tape indicating that it was a crime scene. The place was deserted and Eliot walked up to the door ripping the tape off and entering the building. The first thing he saw was the dried out pool of blood where Archie had lain. Nobody survived the loss of that much blood he thought to himself and he hoped it was not Parker's or Nate's. Moving around the place he found two more dried out pools of blood. The second one was also surrounded by discarded medical paraphernalia. Obviously the medics had worked on somebody here. What the hell had happened here and what did it have to do with Parker and Nate?

"Ok…" Hardison said as the police computer's he had just hacked into started yielding results. "The police are saying this is a robbery gone wrong. The owner was killed behind the bar over there and one customer died here…" Hardison said indicating the first large blood stain on the floor. "The owners' daughter was badly injured, she is at county hospital in a critical condition, she has not regained consciousness yet."

"Nothing about Nate and Parker…?" Sophie said the information from Hardison bringing with it mixed feelings. They weren't dead, the blood did not belong to them, but they weren't here either and that could mean something very bad.

"There were two others here, they were kneeling beside the one that died here. Leaning over him or her…" Eliot said inspecting the floor and the tell-tale signs of what had happened. He moved around the front of the diner and read the story that the scuff marks told, luckily the police had followed forensic protocol and the footprints were clear as day. "Who it was that was there were in a scuffle with some others who came through the front door, they were knocked out, one fell here…" He said indicating the spot that the Mastermind had fallen, "and the other here… and I would say carried out of the diner." Eliot concluded.

"Nate and Parker…" Hardison said his eyes wide with undisguised fear.

"Hardison do you have a name for the customer who was killed…?" Eliot asked.

"No…no identification has been made yet." Hardison said frowning slightly as he checked the file.

"Ok…where did they take the bodies?" Sophie asked. This customer obviously held some clue as to what Nate and Parker where doing here, they had obviously spoken to the man and tried to help him.

"County Morgue for autopsy..." Hardison said.

"Let's go…" Sophie said leading them out of the diner and back to Lucille. "Hardison we are going to need ID's." Sophie said as they climbed into the van and Eliot started towards the morgue.

Once there Hardison provided them all with appropriate ID's and they made their way directly down to autopsy. Luckily there were almost no people around as it was getting late on a Sunday night. On entering the morgue they found the body of the unknown man lying on a cold metal slab. Sophie held back a little. She had seen dead bodies before but still, this gave her the creeps. Eliot stepped forward and removed the sheet covering the body. As he did so and Sophie caught sight of the face she gasped her hand flying to her mouth in shock.

"Archie..." Eliot said recognising the man as well. "That explains Parker being there."

"Yes and obviously there was trouble and none of us were around so she called Nate." Sophie concurred. "Hardison…check where their phones were last used, I mean where was the last call made from."

"Well I can't give exact but I can give close…" Hardison said staring to trace the calls immediately.

"Sophie over here…" Eliot said having taking a walk around the morgue and come across a bag labelled with 'John Doe 18', that was the same name on the toe tag of Archie. Eliot took the bag as Sophie joined him and started emptying it. They found Nate's phone which Eliot handed to Hardison, they also found a few odds and ends and the statue that Parker had managed to sneak into his pocket before they were taken.

"Anything Hardison…" Sophie asked as the finished going through the stuff.

"Yeah, I can tell you that the last call from Parker's phone was down by the dock district. I can't get closer than that…" Hardison said. "I can maybe get something out of the GPS in Nate's phone but I need the stuff in Lucille to do it."

"Ok well there is nothing more here for us." Sophie said as Eliot covered Archie up again. "Let's go…" She said leading them out of the building and back to Lucille.

They left the morgue heading for the parking area when Eliot suddenly stopped.

"Eliot…?" Sophie asked looking around to see if anybody was in the area.

Eliot held his hand to his lips and indicated that they should move for cover. Sophie tried the door to the left of her and found it unlocked. She opened the door and seeing it was dark and empty she signalled them all to get in. Although they had identification the last thing they needed was to be held up by security or anybody else.

Now all of them could hear the footsteps Eliot had been alerted to minutes earlier. Then they heard a deep male voice with a heavy accent followed by a female voice.

"That's Parker…" Hardison said excitedly and quickly pushed past Eliot to burst into the passage in front of Parker and Anatoli. "Parker…" Hardison said laying eyes on the blonde Thief and relief flooding through him. So engrossed was he with seeing Parker alive and well he hardly noticed Anatoli.

Parker was shocked to see Hardison there and for a minute she was immobile. In that minute Anatoli spoke into his coms, telling his boss it was a trap as he saw both Eliot and Sophie exit the room. Then he pulled his gun ready to fight but Eliot was quicker, moving with lightning speed he disarmed Anatoli and rendered the man unconscious.

"No…" Parker screamed out as she saw Eliot take the man. "No…" She said rushing forward and rolling Anatoli over in front of a thoroughly confused Eliot she quickly retrieved his com. "Please…I didn't know they would be here…please it was not a set up." She begged some unknown person on the other side.

"You disappoint…Parker…" The man on the other side hissed out. "I obviously misread you, you have no concern for you companion…well you have signed his death warrant, then I am coming for you, your friends and my Statue."

"No…No…PLEASE…, please I will give you the Statue…please" Parker begged but the coms had gone silent. She had killed Nate she thought as she sank to the floor. Even if she took them to the boat it would be too late for Nate. She had killed him.

"Parker what the hell…?" Eliot said sinking down to his haunches next to the clearly distraught woman.

"He's going to kill Nate…" She said looking up at the Hitter with tear filled eyes.

**Thank you all so very much for your great reviews. So will the man kill Nate as he said? What will the rest of the team find when Parker leads them to the boat? How will Sophie react to the events?**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Parker what are you talking about, where is Nate…" Sophie said moving to Parker's side. "Parker talk to me…" She said. She could see the woman was in a form of shock but she did not have time to worry about that now, Parker had to tell her where Nate was.

"He's…he's on a luxury yacht, it's docked at bay 42 at the docks." Parker said looking at Sophie. "He said he was going to kill him."

"Who is he…?" Hardison asked moving to her side as well.

"We don't have time for that. Eliot we need to get to the docks now, Parker can tell us on the way." Sophie said moving off down the passage without looking back to see if they were following.

The got to Lucille quickly and Eliot immediately set out for the docks. He kept his eyes on the road but listened intently as Parker told her story.

"You stupid…" Sophie said then stopped trying to control her anger at the woman. "Parker, did you not learn your lesson last time? You almost got us all killed then." Sophie said remembering the last time Parker had gone off to do something for Archie without them, and how they had had to rescue her.

"I'm…I'm sorry Sophie…I…" Parker did not know what to say. Her emotions were overwhelming her and she was very close to complete breakdown. She knew when they got to the boat Nate would be dead, she had no doubt the man would do what he said.

Sophie stared at Parker. She was angry with the woman but more than that she was afraid. She was afraid that if they did find Nate dead, she gasped and felt tears prick at her eyes at the mere thought, would she ever be able to forgive her. Parker had no business getting Nate involved in a situation like this, she had no right to put his life in danger. She could have called Eliot or Hardison…she could have done a lot of things but she didn't. She chose to go ahead and do this for Archie and then when she found herself in trouble she called Nate. Sophie knew she was being unreasonable. That Parker thought of Archie as…well as her father and after the Dam job even more so, with the way Archie had behaved with her, said to her. But Nate…she had no right to put Nate in the position she had and if…if Parker's actions had led to Nate's death then she did not know if she could ever forgive her for that.

"Ok Parker where…?" Eliot asked as they entered the dock area.

"At the end of this road…" Parker said.

"Ok…" Eliot said pulling Lucille to a stop. "Sophie, Hardison…"

"Not a chance Eliot." Sophie said knowing the Hitter was going to tell her to stay in the van.

"Sophie we don't know what we are going to come up against." Eliot said softly.

"I don't care." Sophie said climbing out of the van.

The others exited the van and set of in the direction Parker led them. Eliot's apprehension grew as they approached the bay Parker had told them too. Something had happened here. Something not good, something violent. As they approached Parker started to run until she stood at the waters' edge staring out in disbelieve.

"It's gone…the yacht…it's gone." She gasped out.

"There was some kind of a fight here." Eliot said looking around and seeing empty cartridges littering the scene, alone with tell-tale splatters of blood on the tarmac.

"What the hell man…did Nate escape?"

"No, something else happened here…" Eliot said trying to read the signs left behind.

"Yes it did…" A voice came out of the darkness. Eliot swung around and moved to stand in front of Sophie as a man backed by half a dozen men with guns.

"Who are you?" Sophie asked stepping out from behind Eliot.

"My name is Bogden Jovitch." The man said smiling at the Grifter. "Archie Leech was trying to get my Statue back when he was killed." He continued then turned to Parker. "You must be Parker. I am sorry about Archie, he was a good man, a loyal friend."

"What happened here?" Eliot asked.

"Do you have the Statue?" Bogden countered without answer the question.

"My husband was on that Yacht." Sophie said.

"I see. Well in the heat of the exchange, my cowardly brother ordered his men to set sail."

"Your brother…?"

"Yes my dearest brother." Bodgen affirmed with a sigh. "But he will not go far, and I will catch up to him and make him pay for his indiscretions. "

"He has my husband." Sophie reiterated.

"I am afraid that if that is so, your husband is dead." Bogden said bluntly. "My brother takes pleasure in inflicting pain and suffering on others, and unfortunately he enjoys killing. That was why my father disowned him."

"So this is a family feud?" Eliot asked.

"Oh no, this is about power my friend. The person who owns that Statue has all the power or so my brother erroneously believes, it is a…how shall I put it…It is a symbol of our families way of signifying who the Kriosny Otet'…"

"Godfather…" Eliot supplied.

"Yes as you say. It is passed down from generation to generation. My brother thinks that if he is in possession of the Statue he will command the loyalty of the family, they will see him as the leader. He is wrong of course. It is an old tradition and of course the Statue has its sentimental value, however it has no real significance today."

"Then why would he go through so much trouble to get it?" Hardison asked.

"Well…Juri has always been rather…how shall we say…odd. When my brother was disowned and thrown from the family he vowed he would take over, that he would take what he believed was rightfully his, he actually tried to kill both myself and my father."

"Ok…that's fine. I wish you well with your feud." Sophie said turning to Eliot. "This Juri has Nate."

"Sophie if we go after them at sea he will kill Nate…"

"If he hasn't already…" Bogden interrupted. Eliot glared at him and then continued.

"And throw him overboard. We will have no chance of…"

"So what are you saying Eliot, we just…what?" Sophie said desperation and frustration in her voice.

"Sophie…"

"I will help you retrieve your husband, or his body if that is the case." Bogden said again with no emotion in his voice and his bluntness brining another glare from Eliot. "But we must work together."

"You want us to help you take down your brother?" Hardison asked.

"No…I can handle him myself, but I feel I owe you…" He turned to Parker. "Something for the loss of Archie and I am willing to assist to retrieve your friend if it is possible." He said then turned back to Sophie. "You have the Statue I assume?"

Sophie was not sure she should trust this man, but she did not have much choice. Eliot was right, going after them while they were at sea was pointless. If Juri had not already killed Nate, he would do it in a second if they saw them coming. Juri would come for the Statue, he was obsessed with it. Working with Bogden was the only thing they could do right now.

"I think I will hold on to it." She said and she saw Bogden's frame tense and his eyes narrow at her statement. Then he smiled.

"I understand. It is a bargaining tool for you. I agree, until this is settled you can keep the Statue." Bodgen said. "He will come for the Statue, and he will come for you young lady…" He said. "He sees you as somebody who defied him, so you will see Juri again, I can guarantee that." Then he turned to Sophie and said something that gave her hope but also sent a chill through her. "Your husband, Juri will not have killed him yet. He will want to punish him, he will see him as the one who set this up, set him up and the one who has stopped him from regaining his birth right. He will want him to suffer and if I know my brother…he will want this young lady to watch his death. So there is hope…"

**Thanks again for the reviews. So what is happening with Nate…? Will Juri come for Parker? Will Bogden help them or hinder them? **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Parker let's go." Eliot said as they walked back towards Lucille with Parker lagging behind.

"We can't wait." Parker said softly turning around and facing all of them. Sophie's heart clenched as she saw the look in Parker's eye and new there was something the Thief had not told them, something she was not going to like.

"Parker, Eliot is right, we can't go after this guy out there, we don't even know where he is…we have to wait till he gets back to port, we wouldn't stand a chance out there and nor does Nate. Now come on girl, it's been a long night, and an even longer morning."

"You can use this to find him can't you?" Parker asked holding out the tracking device Juri had made her take before leaving he ship. "I mean you can do your…your thing with it and find out where the signal is going and…"

"Parker it doesn't matter if we can find him or not. Eliot said we can't take the chance of trying to get him while is out there, he would be able to kill Nate without us having a chance." Hardison said taking the device and looking it over anyway. At least he would be able to tell them where the man was and when he was getting back to the harbour, or whatever port he was going to go to. He popped the device into his pocket and tried to wrap his arm around Parker, as much to comfort her as to steer her towards their waiting van. They all needed rest, Parker more than any of them. They would be ready for Juri when he came and then they would get Nate back.

"No Hardison you…you don't get it…" Parker said pulling away from the Hacker as he tried to wrap his arm around her. "You don't understand…." She said softly and then turned to Eliot. "Nate was hurt…"

"Oh God…" Sophie whispered.

"How badly…?" Eliot asked. This changed things a little, although he still did not see how they were going to be able to do anything until Juri was back in port.

"Badly…Juri…he stabbed him. I don't know if…I don't know exactly how badly and Nate said it wasn't bad…but"

"Nate would say that even if he was…" Sophie burst out then stopped herself not wanting to say the words.

"Yes he would have." Parker agreed but kept her eyes averted from Sophie, she could not look the Grifter in the eye, she was responsible for Nate being in this position and if he died, it would be her fault. "I think it was really bad…Juri told me he only had four hours to live…That he would…would bleed out…"

"And you couldn't have told us this earlier…?" Sophie hissed out. They had wasted almost two hours since encountering Parker and Nate could be dying, slowly bleeding to death, alone out there.

"Sophie…"

"Eliot." Sophie said ignoring the woman as she turned to her Hitter. "We need a plan and we need it now."

Eliot looked at the Grifter for a moment and then nodded. He pulled out his phone and turning away from them started to speak to somebody on the other side. All of them waited for him to finish. When he did he turned toward them.

"Hardison how fast can you give me a location on that Yacht?" He asked the Hacker.

"I need the stuff in Lucille man…" Hardison said and then broke into a run towards the van followed by the others, with Parker lagging slightly behind.

"OK…" Hardison said as he finished punching numbers into his computers. "The yacht is about 50 miles of the coast. It is stationary at the moment." Hardison said giving Eliot the information he required.

"Sophie…" Eliot said turning to the Grifter. "I am going to get him. I can't have you with…none of you."

"Eliot…"

"Listen to me Sophie, I have a friend who can help, but I can't take any of you with, do you understand. It's not safe for me, for them or for Nate." He did not say that he might have to do something that he did not want them to see, just as in that warehouse three years ago he would do whatever it took to get Nate out of this alive, but he did not need them to know what he could, and would do to accomplish his mission.

"I'm going with you." Parker's voice sounded strong and firm as she moved forward to stand in front of the Hitter, her expression daring him to deny her the right to go with him.

"You have caused enough trouble Parker…I am not going to take the chance that something, anything goes wrong in Nate's rescue. You will stay here." Sophie said sounding like a mother scolding her child for doing something wrong. It was about the only thing that would have stopped Parker in her tracks from insisting on going with, and going anyway if she was denied permission.

Eliot looked at the Thief with empathy, he could see how Sophie's words stung her and he knew she felt guilty about the situation they and Nate found themselves in. He turned to Sophie and nodded to her.

"Bring him back to me Eliot." Was all she said before climbing into the van.

"I will." Eliot replied and then took the coms that Hardison handed him and nodded to the Hacker. "I'll be in contact. Get them back to the Brewery and stay there until I call."

"Be careful Eliot." Hardison told his friend.

"Always…" Eliot smiled a tight smile and then looked up meeting Parker's eyes. He moved to stand in front of her away from the van and took her by her shoulders. "I promise I'll bring him home Parker." He told the Thief and saw a small hint of a sad smiled touch her eyes. "Take care of Sophie for me…"

"Eliot…"

"Take care of Sophie…she is going to need somebody if…if this goes wrong Parker."

"Not me…" Parker said softly tears forming in her eyes.

"Yes you. She loves you Parker, we are a family and no matter how angry she is right now, if Nate doesn't make it back alive, she is going to need family, whether she likes it or not. You have to be there for her, you can't run away Parker, I need to know you won't leave her."

"I promise…" Parker said her voice barely audible as she pulled the Hitter into an unexpected hug. "I'm sorry Eliot…please, please get him home safe." She whispered in his ear.

Eliot pushed her back and nodded a tight smile on his lips, he was not sure he would be able to do that, but he was damn well going to try.

"Get them home Hardison and keep them there." Eliot said closing the van door after Parker had climbed in and then tapping it gently. Hardison nodded and pulled away leaving the Hitter to watch them go.

He had contacted a friend of his from the Coast Guard who had said he would arrange everything with a buddy of his stationed in Portland. Eliot knew his friend would come through, he owed Eliot his life and this was a favour he could not refuse. Eliot would be on his own when he went after Juri, but that was the way he liked it. He worked best alone especially when he knew he might have to become the Eliot none of them really knew. It was now mid-morning so going in under the cover of darkness was not going to be an option. He had that base covered though, with the help of some equipment from his friend. He would dive and swim in approaching the yacht under the water. How he was going to get off again, especially with an injured Nate he did not know, but he would do what he had to, up to and including disposing of the crew of the boat, to accomplish his mission. He was not going to go back and tell Sophie he had failed and Nate was dead. If he did that, his would lose his family. Sophie would never forgive Parker, no matter what he had told the Thief and she in turn would never forgive herself. She would run, of that he had no doubt and Sophie would just…leave. Hardison would chase Parker and that would be the end of their team, their family as they knew it, a family he did not even realise he needed until Nate had given it to him. A family he was damned if he was going to lose. He would get to Nate and he would bring the man home, he just hoped that Nate was still holding on and that he would find the Mastermind alive when he got there.

About five minutes after the van had left a car pulled up.

"Spencer?" A man called opening his passenger door.

"Tracy…?" Eliot said greeting the man his friend had sent to help him.

"Yeah, bit short notice but I got everything you need." Garth Tracy said as Eliot climbed into the car. "I have it ready. You sure you don't want company?"

"No thanks. The less you are involved the better." Eliot told him. They rode in silence from there until the man pulled up. "She'll get you out there and the tanks are full." He told the Hitter.

"Thanks." Eliot said not wasting any time climbing into the zodiac the man had provided and kitted out for him.

"Try to bring it back in one piece." Tracy said dryly. Eliot smiled at him and started the engine sending the boat out and into the sea.

It didn't take the Hitter long to get within range of the yacht, he could see it perfectly but knew unless somebody was specifically looking for him they could not see him. Eliot scanned the vessel with the binoculars that Tracy had supplied but saw no movement at all. That was strange and it rang a warning bell for Eliot, but he did not have time to worry about it. He needed to get on that boat and after that, well whatever happened…happened. He quickly got into the dive suite and once he was sure everything was secure he slipped over the side and made quick time towards the unsuspecting yacht. Reaching the boat he slipped unseen to the back and surfaced just below the ladder that ran down the aft. He quickly rid himself of his flippers and mask and tanks, telling himself he would replace them as soon as he could for Tracy. Then he climbed aboard being quiet, quick and careful. Still there was no movement, no sound, no nothing. Now Eliot was worried, something was wrong. He peered over the top of the boat and froze. There were three bodies scattered on the deck, each with multiple gunshot wounds. Quickly he dropped to the deck and made his way into the main cabin. A man was sitting on one of the sofa's a glass of whiskey at his side the contents spilt out over the sofa and onto the floor. He had a neat hole in the middle of his forehead and his eyes stared lifeless up at the ceiling. Eliot was now certain that he was about the only person still moving on the yacht and his heart clenched. He rushed below decks throwing open every cabin door but found each one of them empty. What the hell had happened here? He approached the final cabin door to find a note pinned to it with a knife.

"You have my Statue, I have your man…I will be in contact." The note read. Eliot pushed the door to the cabin open. It was empty just like the others. Eliot swore softly to himself as he saw the pool of drying blood on the one side, he was sure that was Nate's blood and by the look of it, the man had lost plenty. Eliot quickly turned and made his way back to the deck. He started up the engines and turned the boat steering her towards shore as he took out his coms from their watertight bag and put it in his ear.

**So what do you think happened on the Yacht? What about Nate, who has him now and in what condition is he? Thank you all for the great reviews please keep them coming.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Nate was not sure how long he had been out. His shirt and pants were now soaked with his blood as the wound Juri had inflicted oozed constantly robbing him of his life's blood. His mind was foggy and he was weak unable to even push himself into a completely upright position. He was cold but he knew that to be from the loss of blood. It not dark outside anymore so he assumed he had been unconscious for a fair few hours. All seemed quiet when suddenly he heard muffled gunshots and some shouting going on. Then he felt the motors of the yacht burst into life and the boat started moving. Minutes later Juri burst into his cabin.

"Your little friend double crossed you and me." He told Nate. "She obviously cares nothing for your life…" He said stepping forward and grabbing Nate by his shirt pulling him up making the Mastermind groan in pain. "But she will pay…she will pay, they will all pay…and so will you." Juri said letting go of Nate with his left hand and sending it flying into the Mastermind's face.

Nate rocked back with the blow and Juri let go of his shirt allowing the Mastermind to fall to the ground again his back against the wall. Nate smiled a crooked smile at the man, Parker was away and safe, that was all that mattered to him. Juri saw the smile and became enraged he raised his foot and kicked the Mastermind repeatedly cursing him, Parker and his brother until Nate passed out half lying half sitting against the wall of the cabin. Then Juri stopped and stared at the man taking deep breaths as he calmed himself down.

"My brother thinks he has won…" Juri told the unconscious Nate. "Your little lady chose the wrong side to deal with…" He said turning around and heading for the door of the cabin. He stopped as he passed through and turned back to Nate. "Too bad for you…" He said then closed the door and latched it again.

"Sir we are headed out to sea, there is no sign of pursuit, what are your orders?"

"Drop anchor when we are far enough out. We'll wait, that was my brother, he knows I am here, I want that Statue and I want that girl." Juri said then walked past the man and into main cabin where his lieutenant Josef waited for him.

"What's the damage?" He asked the man walking straight to the bar and pouring himself a whiskey. "And how the hell did they get so close before we knew they were here?" Juri asked downing his first glass and pouring himself another before turning to face his man.

"We lost three men, and I don't know. That woman must have told him where we were. The man Leech was working for your brother, maybe he told Bogden where you were before we got to him." Josef replied.

"That's another thing Josef…how did the girl or Leech know where to find me and the Statue?" Juri snarled at the man. "You are not excelling at your job…"

"I don't know sir…"

"What do you know?" Juri asked.

"I know that your brother has people who are everywhere…somebody told Leech we were here."

Juri looked at him and he could have sworn he saw a flicker of fear cross his Bosses face. It was gone in an instant though. Juri poured himself another glass of whiskey and sat down on the sofa.

"So what do we do now Boss?" Josef asked when the man remained silent.

"Now…? Now Josef we are going to kill that woman, her friends and my damned brother." Juri said acidly.

"Yes sir." Josef said quietly.

"Now get out of my sight and find out where that bitch and her friends are." Juri hissed. "And my dearest brother too."

"Yes sir…" Josef said turning to leave. He was met by a man who stood blocking the door, neither Juri nor Josef had seen him arrive. Before Josef could react to the mans' presence there was a small popping sound as the man fired his silenced gun and Josef crumpled to the floor.

Juri's eyes widened as he saw his lieutenant fall and he lifted his eyes to the man who had killed him.

"What the…"

"Your brother sends his regards…" The man said and fired one shot. The bullet made a small hole in Juri's forehead killing him instantly.

The man then walked calmly from the cabin silencing each and every man he encountered until he was sure the crew were completely disposed of. He then made his way through the cabins until he found the one he was looking for. Entering he walked to the prone unconscious figure lying at the back of the cabin. Bending down he did a quick inspection of the man and then lifted him, throwing him over his shoulder as he made his way back onto deck. As he emerged a small speedboat approached and he lowered the unconscious man down to the one on the little boat. Then looking around again he nodded his head in satisfaction before descending the ladder and climbing aboard the speedboat. Immediately the little boat set off for shore leaving a ghost yacht behind.

"No problems?" His companion asked as they set off.

"None…He's in bad shape…" The man said as he finished his examination of Nate. "Juri did a real job on him."

"Well as long as he is still alive, the Boss doesn't want a dead man." His friend answered.

"Unless we get him some treatment that is exactly what he is going to get. So make this thing go faster will you, you know how the Boss gets when we don't deliver." The man said as he started to work on Nate as best he could.

The rest of the short trip to shore was spent in silence. Once they arrived they were met by another man driving a van.

"Karl…" The leader of the other three greeted them as the man climbed of the boat carrying the Mastermind in his arms.

"Mike…" He grunted back walking to the van and laying the Mastermind out in the back.

"Any problems?"

"None…" Karl told him. "But he needs a doctor, I can't do any more for him. He also needs blood, he left most of his on that boat. If the Boss wants him alive that is." Karl said.

"He does." Mike said looking down at the unconscious man. "Ok get in, we'll take him to Doc."

"He needs a hospital Mike, not Doc."

"Well Doc is all he is going to get." Mike said. They could not take the man to a hospital, there would be too many questions. Doc would have to do what he could. Let the Boss know what's going on.

Karl nodded and pulled out his phone he spoke briefly to his Boss.

"Ok…Doc it is." Karl said climbing into the back of the van with the injured Nate. "Apparently they are on their way out to the yacht to rescue him." Karl said nodding at Nate.

"Boy are they going to be in for a surprise."

"Yeah well…I don't know why the Boss doesn't just let me kill them and take the Statue from the woman."

"'Cos Archie was his friend and he owed…you remember what happened in Moscow."

"Yeah well I recognised their guy…and I tell you the Boss is playing with fire."

"Who…"

"The one with Archie's girl Parker…his name is Eliot Spencer and he was one of the best."

"Was…?"

"Yeah, he dropped out of the game just over five years ago."

"I can take him." Karl smirked. He had heard of Eliot Spencer. He had worked for Damien Moreau, rumour had it that he was the right hand man for him for a couple of years, and nobody worked for that guy, especially as his go to guy, without being an outright killer and good at it too.

"Don't be so sure. Anyway we won't need to as long as we keep this one alive. He's the chip in this game."

"Here we are…" Mike said as he pulled the van up behind a dilapidated looking building. "Let's get him inside, if he dies then it's Doc's problem not ours."

Karl nodded and lifted the Mastermind out of the van carrying him to the door which was opened by a small insignificant looking man who directed Karl to deposit the injured man on the bed he had prepared.

"Well…" Karl asked as he watched the doctor doing a preliminary exam.

"Not too much damage... at least not to his organs from the knive… Juri was always good with a knife, but he has lost a lot of blood." The doctor said looking up at Karl. "He also had quite a working over, I would say a few cracked ribs…I will have to do a proper exam to tell the rest but I think the main problem is loss of blood. I am going to have to do a transfusion and clean out this wound for starters." The doctor said.

"What do I tell the Boss?" Mike asked.

"Tell him I'll do what I can but I promise nothing." The doctor said smiling at the man. He knew that was not what he wanted to hear and definitely not what he wanted to tell the Boss. "Now get the hell out of here and leave me with my patient."

The doctor retrieved a bag of whole blood and hooked up an IV line for Nate. "Lucky for you I have some 'O Neg' available." He said to the unconscious man. "Now let's take care of that wound shall we…" He said as he started to clean out the knife wound in Nate's side. Once he was done and he had worked on Nate's other injuries he sat down beside his bed. 'You should be dead you know…I don't even know why you are still breathing. That was quite a beating you took, and add to that the blood loss…well…" The doctor continued. "Anyway let's hope you stay alive because the Boss wants you for something and I don't like letting the man down…it could be hazardous to my health." He told Nate. Then he sat back to wait for the Mastermind to wake up.

**So Bogden has Nate. What will Sophie's reaction be to Eliot's news of what he found on the boat and to Nate being missing? What will Nate do when he wakes up? Thank you for the great reviews they are very much appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Nate came back to consciousness and could immediately tell that there was something different. He was not in too much pain, he was warm and dry, and he was lying in a comfortable bed. He cracked one eye open and glanced around without attracting any attention. He was in a hospital bed but not in a hospital. He had an IV attached to his arm, he looked up and saw an empty bag of blood hanging from the stand along with a Saline bag that was only half finished. Scanning the room he saw a small man working at a desk on the opposite side of the smallish room he was in. He closed his eyes and tried to work out what was going on. The last thing he remembered was his captor kicking him and then nothing. He was definitely not on the Yacht anymore so where was he? His injuries had been treated, his wound cleaned and he had been given a transfusion. Why? What was the guy up to? Then he figured it out. He was going to use him to get to Parker and the others, and he could not do that if he was dead. Damn it. He could not allow him to do that.

Nate opened his eyes a little more and scanned the room again to confirm that the only other person in the room was the man in the corner bent over his desk. As quietly as he could he reached over and pulled the IV needle out of his arm biting his lip at the sting of it. He was about to try to sit up when the man's phone rang. Nate immediately lay back in the bed and closed his eyes after pushing the needle back into his arm. He could hear the man's footsteps as he approached him.

"Yeah, sorry he's still unconscious." He heard the man say. "No I don't know when he will be awake." Then there was silence again as the man listened to the voice on the other end of the line. "I don't care what the Boss has set up with the girl…he ain't awake and he isn't going to wake up anytime soon, he needs rest. Come and get him if you want to but you will be carrying him out." The man said turning away from Nate who was straining to hear the conversation. As the man walked away from him he caught only a few words one of which was die and the other kill and his blood froze. He needed to get out of here, he could not let them use him to get to his team, to his family. He heard the man walk back to his desk and heard the scape of the chair as he sat down again.

Nate waited a few minutes then opened his eyes to check were the man was. Seeing he was installed at his desk again with his back to him he quickly pulled the needle back out and pushed himself up in the bed quietly. He felt a dizzy spell wash over him and he thought he would pass out again, he closed his eyes and drew a deep breath which immediately told him he had a few broken ribs from the pain it caused. He ignored the pain and quietly slipped off the bed moving as quickly and quietly as he could he made his way across the room picking up a lamp on the way, it was heavy and he could use it to knock the man out. He approached the man from behind and as he did he raised his arm.

The doctor sensed something and turned to find his patient standing behind him about to hit him with a lamp. He grabbed Nate's arm. Pulling Nate towards him he sank his fist into the Mastermind's middle, knowing exactly where to hit to cause the most damage and pain, doubling him over. Nate felt the breath go out of him but he was determined to get away from his captor. The doctor thought Nate would go down and was amazed as he came up and hit the doctor with the lamp he still held sending him flying backwards into his desk. He took a moment to try to regain his breath and in that moment the doctor grabbed for a gun he kept on his desk. This man was obviously insane and he was not going to take a chance that he killed him, no matter what the Boss wanted. The doctor swung around and fired sending a bullet into the Mastermind's shoulder and causing him to stagger backwards slightly. Nate drew on the last bit of strength he had and threw himself at the doctor sending them both to the floor, he grabbed for the gun that had been dislodged from the doctors hand and brought the butt around connecting with the doctor's head and sending him into unconsciousness. The Mastermind collapsed to the ground and fought desperately for breath. His shoulder was on fire and the wound in his side had opened with the blow the doctor had landed. Crawling to the table he pulled himself up grabbing for the doctors phone and the car keys that lay to the side of the table. He stumbled to the door of the room and tried the lock. Finding it unlocked he stumbled through and out into the alley. Looking around he moved quickly to the vehicle that was parked a little way from the door. Taking the keys he opened the door and climbed into the car starting it and pulling away. Once he had driven away from the area he found an alley and pulled the car into the shadows where he thought he would not easily seen, he knew he could not go much further. Taking the phone out he tried to dial a number but his hands were slippery, coated with his own blood and he dropped the phone before he could complete the call. He felt his head spinning and then the darkness took him and he fell forward hitting his head on the edge of the steering wheel and then slumping to the side and half onto the passengers' seat.

**What will Bogden do when he finds Nate has escaped? What will Eliot, Sophie and the rest do when they find that Bogden does not have Nate? Will Nate be alright? Thanks again for the great reviews.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Eliot how is he…Eliot…?" Sophie's anxious voice came over the coms as soon as Eliot had activated his.

"Sophie…he…he wasn't on the yacht." Eliot told her and immediately heard the gasp and knew what she was thinking.

"No…no…I mean he is not on the yacht. Bogden got there first. Juri is dead and so are the rest of his men. Bogden has Nate, he wants a trade."

"Nate for the Statue…" Parker said.

"Yeah that is about it. He said he would contact us." Eliot confirmed.

"Where are you?" Sophie asked.

"Brining the yacht back, I'll meet up with you at the Brewery, I should be there within an hour." Eliot told her.

Eliot was back at the Brewery for less than thirty minutes when Parker's phone rang. All eyes turned to the Thief as she answered. She put the phone on speaker and placed it in on the table so that they could all hear the conversation.

"Parker…"

"Where is Nate?" Parker asked at the sound of Bogden's voice.

"I have him. He is alive. I am sorry that this is the way it had to be, but I could not risk his wife making a deal with my brother. I want my Statue." Bogden told her. "The deal is simple, I return him for the Statue."

"When and where?" Parker asked immediately.

Bogden gave her the address and told her that he would be there in three hours. She should be there with the Statue and they could make the swap.

Eliot did not like it. He felt exposed and more than that he did not like that Sophie and the others were exposed as well. He was still not sure about Bogden, he did not think that the man meant them any harm, but he could not be sure. They stood waiting in the designated place for the meet to swap the Statue for Nate. He watched like a hawk as Bogden and three men approached. None of the approaching men were Nate and Eliot was immediately on the alert.

"Where is my husband?" Sophie asked as the four men came to a stop in front of the Leverage group.

"I am afraid he is no longer with us." Bogden said softly.

"What do you mean…'no longer with us?" Sophie said softly fear gripping her as the meaning of the words sank into her brain. She took a step forward towards Bogden which immediately sent his henchmen's hands to their guns. Eliot reacted quickly stepping in front of Sophie ready to grab for anything. He could tell that all of the men were armed by their guns were holstered. Parker and Hardison too tensed up ready for anything that may happen, both of them shocked by Bogden's words…was Nate dead, were they too late?

Bogden shook his head and held up his hand stopping his men from actually drawing their guns. He cursed himself for the way he had phrased the words as he could see the raw fear on the woman's face. He could also feel the tension in the group and knew that one wrong move from either side and everything could go up in flames.

"Your husband is not dead…" He said and saw the relief flood over her as he paused giving her a minute to digest the news. "I am sorry I gave that impression."

"Then where is he. You took him off that yacht, and we had a deal." Sophie hissed at him. She was tired of the games, she was tired of everything, she was close to breaking and all she wanted was Nate back.

"I do not know where he is." Bogden said then called the small man who was standing beside him forward. "This is Helmut. He is a trusted friend and a good doctor. I entrusted your husband to him after he was retrieved from Juri's hands. He was not in good condition and needed immediate medical attention which Helmut supplied. As you can see." Bogden said pointing to the man. "Your husband attacked the good doctor and ran, taking his phone and his car with him."

"He took his phone…?" Hardison said his eyes lighting up. "What is the number?"

"What…?" The doctor asked surprised at Hardison's reaction.

"What is the number of the phone?" Hardison repeated staring at the doctor and waiting for a reply.

"I don't think that Helmut wants to give you that information." Bogden said softly looking at Sophie. He did not have the man, but he may have the means to retrieve him. He had done his research on this team since meeting them. Alec Hardison was one of the best hackers around. He could probably trace the phone, if Ford still had it that is. "I do not want any more to do with this. I will give you the number, and thereby the means of finding Mr Ford in exchange for my Statue."

Sophie stared at him and by the look on her face Eliot thought she was going to explode. She pulled the Statue from her purse and shoved it into Bogden's chest with some force.

"Take the damn Statue." She hissed at him. "I never want to see it again."

Bogden took the Statue from her and nodded. Then he turned to Hardison giving him the number of the doctors' mobile phone.

"I wish you good luck in finding you husband Mrs Ford. Parker, Archie was a good friend to me and my father, I am truly sorry for how this turned out." He said then turned and retreated along with the rest of him men.

"Hardison…" Sophie asked ignoring Bogden completely.

"The phone is still on but there is no answer…I can trace it though." Hardison said then turned and ran for the van with the others following quickly.

By the time they were all in Lucille Hardison had pinpointed the location of the phone. Eliot drove swiftly as Hardison directed him. They pulled up outside an old run down house.

"The phone is in here somewhere…" Hardison said looking at the house.

Eliot nodded and swiftly made his way to the front door aware that Sophie was following him. As he went he indicated to Parker to go around the back which she did followed by Hardison. Eliot turned to Sophie briefly and told her to keep her head down and stay behind him. She nodded in agreement; at least the Hitter was not trying to order her back to the van. Eliot got to the front door and without any ado kicked it open. Of the four people inside only one made a move at the sudden intrusion and Eliot quickly had him under control. The other three people in the room were obviously high and not in a position to do anything, in fact they barely noticed their presence. Hardison and Parker came through the back and entered the room, Hardison immediately putting his hand in front of his nose to block the smell emanating from the place. It was obviously a crack house. He lifted his phone and dialled the number given to him by Bogden. One of the phones on the table started to ring.

"Well that's the phone so where the hell is Nate?" Hardison asked.

"I don't know but I bet this guy does." Eliot said softly. He grabbed the man harder pushing him into the wall and placing his arm at his throat. "Where did you get that phone?" He growled at the man.

"Don't know…" The man sneered at him not quite understanding the position he was in.

Eliot pressed a little harder and the man started to squirm as he was deprived of oxygen. Then Eliot eased off and asked again about the phone.

"Ok…Ok…man the dude didn't need it anymore." The man said.

"What do you mean he didn't need it anymore?" Sophie asked moving forward to stand by Eliot's side as the Hitter narrowed his eyes sending fear into the man he held.

"Man I found him like that I swear…I just took the phone that's all."

"Found him like what?"

"Dead man…the dude was dead." The man said. "But I swear man…I found him like that…I only took the phone I swear man…"

"Nate…oh God Nate…" Sophie said her eyes filling with tears and her hand flying to her mouth to stop the sob that wanted to get out.

**So that is the end of this chapter…Is Nate dead? What will happen to the team if he is? How will each of them react? Thanks for the reviews they are always appreciated.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Where…where did you find him…where…?" Eliot asked the man his voice low and dark.

"Just down the alley man…"

"What alley?"

"Two streets down man…he was just lying there I swear man…" The man said, he could see his own death in this man's eyes.

Eliot nodded at the man and then released him.

"Let's go…" He said putting his hand on Sophie's back and guiding her out of the house.

"He said a few blocks down right…?" Hardison asked.

"Yeah…" Eliot said then his eyes caught sight of something a little way down the road. There was obviously something happening and he picked up speed as he led Sophie towards the place the man had said he had found the phone, and Nate.

As they approached the place the saw an ambulance and police cars parked at the entrance to the alley. There was police tape spread around preventing them from getting too close. They came to a stop just behind the tape and Eliot called one of the police officers over.

"What's happening here man…?"

"This is a crime scene, please keep back." The officer told him and then turned away.

"My name is Chelsea Warren from the Portland Chronicle." Sophie said as he turned away from them. "We were here doing a story on urban decay and we saw this…can you tell me what is going on Officer…" Sophie called to him drawing him back to them.

"Portland Chronicle?"

"Yes…Officer…" Sophie noted the name tag on the officers' shirt and smiled sweetly at him. "Tabart…I would personally appreciate it if you could tell me what happened here." She said using all the charm she could muster.

"Well…there was a body found...looks like a jacking and robbery got a bit out of hand." The officer said smiling at Sophie.

"A body…" Sophie gasped, she did not have to feign her distress at that.

"Yeah…well we were told it was a body but apparently the guy is still alive…barely…the paramedics are working on him now."

"Who is he…?"

"Well…"

"Please Officer Tabart…I would be so…grateful to you if you could help me out on this." Sophie said smiling at him, she could see he was young and was probably a rookie, that would explain why he was on tape duty. "It's been a slow news week and…well my boss…he is about ready to fire me if I don't come up with something good. Just a name…It would help me so much…" Sophie said pulling out her best Grifter persona she could.

"Well…I shouldn't say anything, but I don't see how that could do any harm." The officer said looking around to see if anybody was close and would be able to hear him. "There was no ID on the man so…John Doe I guess."

"And where would they be taking John Doe for treatment." Sophie asked touching the Officer's hand lightly and smiling at him.

"Well probably St Mary's, it's the closest hospital to here." He said.

"Thank you officer…" Sophie said and then her eyes caught the paramedics rolling a gurney towards the waiting ambulance.

She could see that the person on it was still alive because he was not covered with a sheet or in a body bag and she breathed a sigh of relief. Of course they did not know for sure this was Nate but it was a good bet it was. The face of the person was obscured by the oxygen mask over it but she could see the wild and curly black hair and she knew it was him.

"St Mary's you said…" Eliot spoke for the first time. "And where would that be?" He asked.

"About two miles to the south on Carston street." The office told him. "Are you alright Miss Warren?" He asked as he saw the woman go white in the face and saw tears gathering in her eyes as she watched the medics load Nate on the ambulance.

"She's fine officer…" Eliot said looking at Sophie and seeing her distress. He knew all she wanted to do was get into the ambulance with Nate and tell him everything was going to be alright. "Thank you for your help…" He said and before the officer could say any more he turned Sophie around and led her back up the street towards Lucille. Parker and Hardison followed as they moved quickly to the van.

"He's alive Sophie…" Eliot whispered to her as he helped her into the van. "Just hold on to that."

Then he and the other two climbed in and he set off in the direction the ambulance had gone. As they drove Hardison worked on his computers and by the time they arrived at the hospital he had ID's for all of them as detectives from the local precinct. It was the best ID's he could think of that would give him the information they needed. Sophie wiped the tears from her eyes as they pulled up in front of the hospital and took the ID before climbing out of the ambulance and heading into the hospital. The ambulance had arrived a few minutes before them but they had rushed their patient into the ER before the team had arrived. Sophie lagged behind Eliot knowing he would be the best one to handle this. They made their way to the front desk.

"Detective Frank Costello…I need to know the condition of the man just brought in from a mugging." He said brusquely as the duty nurse looked up at them.

"I don't know his condition, they have just brought him in." The nurse told him.

"Well could you find out?" Eliot asked still keeping his voice very brusque and business like.

"He is not the only patient…"

"Nurse, this is urgent police business…" Eliot said and then Hardison stepped forward leaning into the nurses' station and smiling at the nurse.

"Hey partner…sorry, he's just a little antsy because this is the sixth mugging of this type and the first one to make it through if you know what I mean…We really need to know his condition and when we would be able to speak to him." Hardison said playing the good cop to Eliot's obnoxious one.

The nurse looked from Eliot to Hardison and nodded and stood up walking into the ER room they had taken Nate into. She returned a few minutes later and smiled at Hardison.

"He is not in good shape but they have managed to stabilize him and are taking him into surgery now." The nurse told him. "The sixth mugging…?" She asked fearfully.

"Yes…but don't worry, we'll catch the guy." Hardison said. "But we are going to have to talk to the guy as soon as possible." He said making his voice as serious as he could.

"Well…you can wait up at the OR waiting area and I will get the doctor to see you as soon as he is out of Surgery." The nurse said. She lived in the area and anything she could do to help the officers catch the mugger she would. She was frightened by Hardison's words and could not believe that they had not heard about the serial mugger and by the sound of it murderer that was out there.

Eliot read the fear on the woman's face and smiled at her.

"Sorry I came of so harsh but I don't like this guy running around our neighbourhood. None of us do. Anyway, trust me, me and my partners here…" He said indicating the whole group so that she would know Sophie and Parker were also police. "We are going to make sure that this poor guy is his last victim, with his help and yours."

The nurse smiled back at Eliot and smiled. Somehow the man made her feel safer already.

"You can go up, I will have the doctor come and talk to you." She said then told them where they could go and wait for news.

"Thank you." Hardison said and then they all moved off towards the waiting area she had indicated to wait for news on Nate's condition.

Three hours later they were approached by a doctor.

"Are you the detectives here for the John Doe brought in?" He asked them as he approached them. They looked to him like anxious family members waiting on news of a loved one.

"Yes…how is he?"

"Well he made it through the surgery. We removed the bullet…" He said handing Eliot an evidence bag with the bullet in it, this was not the doctors' first rodeo Eliot thought, but then this was a very dangerous neighbourhood. "But there was another injury, a knife wound which had been closed and then reopened, probably due to a blow he took to his stomach, there was some serious internal damage done there too. Also I would say that your man took a beating a few hours or days before this attack. He had definitely received earlier treatment including a transfusion. I would say he was in a bad way before this attack happened."

"Will he make it?" Sophie asked trying to sound professional and not like a woman who was worried sick about her husband that could be dying.

"He is critical, the next twenty four to fourty eight hours will tell." The doctor said.

"Thank you doctor..." Eliot said. "We will need to speak to him as soon as possible. Also, we believe that the mugger could try to finish the job, we think this guy could ID him and he has not, to date left anybody alive that could." Eliot told the doctor. "So we will be here with him until he wakes up and is well enough to go into police protection."

"Very well…" the doctor said, he was used to having the police either have suspects brought in or victims of crimes. "I will arrange with the nurses that you are allowed access to his room. But please remember this man is in critical condition. I can't have people traipsing in and out of his room all the time."

"I understand doctor. It will only be the four of us, one of us with him in the room at all times." Eliot told the doctor.

The doctor nodded his agreement and then told them that they could wait there and a nurse would show them to their John Doe's room as soon as he was out of recovery. Eliot thanked him and then watched him walk away.

"Hardison…"

"Done man…" Hardison said as he got to work making sure their story held up and that the local police were under the impression that a special unit was taking over the case. He was sure the locals were under enough strain that they would not mind and anyway they saw it only as a mugging gone wrong, not a priority case.

"He's going to be alright Sophie." Eliot said looking down at the Grifter who had sunk back down onto a chair as soon as the doctor had left and he could see the tears in her eyes she was fighting to hold back.

Sophie nodded at him not trusting herself to speak as she fought to maintain her control. She had to believe Nate would make it; she could not even contemplate the alternative.

"Sophie…" Parker said approaching the Grifter.

"Not now Parker…I…just not now." Sophie said. She was angry with the Thief, she was angry and she knew that if she spoke to the woman now she would say something she regretted. She needed to see Nate, she needed to know he was going to be alright…then she would deal with Parker.

Parker nodded tears forming in her eyes as she turned away from the Grifter.

"Hey girl…" Hardison said pulling Parker to him. "It's going to be alright. Nate will be alright and then everything will be fine…I promise." Hardison said throwing Sophie a look that said 'why did you have to do that she feels bad enough already'. Sophie ignored the look and turned away from them. Hardison pulled Parker closer and closed his eyes. Please Nate, you have to be alright he thought, if the Mastermind wasn't, if he did not make it through, then he could lose not only him but his family too…he could lose Parker and that scared him silly.

**Will Nate be ok? If he does not make it what will happen to the Leverage family? What will happen when Sophie finally does confront Parker on what she did? How will Parker react? Thank you all again so much for the reviews, they are as always my inspiration for writing.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The next day Sophie sat alone in Nate's room holding his hand and staring at the monitors that surrounded him, the doctor had informed them that although his condition had not improved it had also not deteriorated either. Only time would tell as there was really nothing more they could do.

Eliot had sat with the man through the night while Parker had waited in the area outside the room, she had been in only once briefly when Nate had been brought to the room. Hardison sat with her not wanting to leave her for fear she might do something stupid. Sophie had gone home to get some rest, she did not want to but Eliot convinced her she needed to and although she would never admit it she need to rest, she also need some time on her own. The tension between Sophie and Parker was palpable and Eliot felt it would be better if they were kept apart, at least until Nate showed improvements and they knew the man was going to be alright.

Eliot and the others had left to get some rest too and would return later the afternoon.

"Damn, I left my phone in the waiting room." Hardison said searching his pockets.

"I'll go get it." Parker said immediately turning and heading back towards the hospital.

"Ok…we'll see you at Lucille." Hardison called after her.

Parker made her way back up to Nate's room finding Hardison's phone lying on one of the chairs they had occupied through the night. She heard Sophie's voice from Nate's room and silently moved to stand by the door. Looking in she saw Sophie sitting at Nate's side and talking softly to him.

"Nate…please you have to come back to me, you have to pull through." She said running her hand over Nate's forehead and through his unruly hair. "This is all Parker's fault…what was that girl thinking, was she even thinking about anything but herself…damn her…" Sophie said tears falling down her cheeks as she looked down at her husband. "She could have got you killed…Archie is dead and you…She knew the danger and she still pulled you in…dammit, damn her…" Sophie paused drawing a deep breath and trying to get her emotions under control. She knew she was being irrational. She knew that if it had been her Parker had called she would have gone without hesitation just as Parker would have come to her aid. They were family and that was what they did. But still, she could lose Nate and that scared her more than anything else in her life ever had. She squeezed his hand gently. "You have to be alright Nate…please you need to come back to me, I love you so much Nate, please come back to me."

Parker listened to Sophie and she could feel the sting of tears in her own eyes. Sophie was right, she had done this, she had almost caused Nate's death and he may still die. Archie was dead. She backed away from the room and putting the phone down on the chair again she ran tears now streaming down her face. She could not stay, Sophie would never forgive her, and she shouldn't, Parker told herself, this was why Archie had said he would not, could not take her in and make her family. Nate had, he had given her a family and a home and a life she never even dreamed of having, had said one time, the time before when she had tried to help Archie, he had told him he would die for her, and now he lay perhaps dying and it was her fault. If she had not done what she had then Nate would be safe at home with his wife. She had no right to call him, no right to put him into the danger he had been put in, Sophie was right, she had had no right to do what she had done. They would be better off without her, she would only cause them harm, maybe even cause their deaths if she stayed, it was only a matter of time and now she would do what she should have a long time ago. She was a person who should be on her own; she did not deserve a family. As she ran all these thoughts ran through her head convincing her that she needed to run, she needed to go, for the safety and welfare of the people she loved. Loved she thought, she never thought she would know love, but now she did and she was terrified of losing it, so it was better she ran, leaving before Sophie could tell her to leave. Before Nate didn't make it and Hardison and Eliot turned against her too, because she knew they would, they would blame her and as much as she knew they cared for her, they cared for Nate more, he was…well he was the man who had made this family and she would be the one who took him away from them. It was better if she went, just disappeared. She was good at being alone, she told herself, she was meant to be alone.

"Where is she…?" Hardison asked tapping his fingers on his desk in the back of Lucille, Parker had been gone for fifteen minutes already.

"I don't know and…" Eliot turned around and glared at the Hacker. "And if you don't want your fingers broken I would stop that." He growled.

They were all on edge. Nate was not improving, not worsening but still. The tension between Parker and Sophie, which had overflowed to tension between Hardison and Sophie, and then there was his own anxiety, he was worried about all of them, he was the protector the defender and in this situation he could not protect of defend any of them, he was at the mercy of whatever was going to happen along with the rest of them.

"Well I'm going to go see where she is." Hardison said climbing out of Lucille and heading back into the hospital. Eliot stared at him for a minute then shook his head taking the keys and following Hardison.

When they got to Nate's room they found the waiting area outside empty and Hardison's phone lying on one of the chairs. Eliot peered into the room but Parker was not inside. Sophie sat holding Nate's hand and talking softly to him.

"Where is she…?" Hardison asked getting a horrible feeling in his gut.

Eliot looked at the Hacker and shook his head. He did not know where the woman was but he got a feeling that he was not going to like what happened next. He looked into the room again and called Sophie softly. She turned to look at him and then nodded as he indicated she should come outside. After leaning in and whispering something to Nate she made her way out the room.

"What's wrong…what's going on?" She asked as she saw the look on both Hardison and Eliot's faces.

"Did you see Parker?" Eliot asked her. "She came up to the Hardison's phone but didn't come back. The phone is still here and that was twenty minutes ago."

"No…" Sophie said shaking her head. "I didn't see her."

"Did you say something to her…?" Hardison blurted out.

"I said I didn't see her." Sophie repeated.

"But you have been…well you haven't exactly been nice to her since…"

"Hardison I did not see her or talk to her. I don't know where she is, who knows with that girl anyway?" Sophie said her anger overriding her common sense. "She probably just ran away…it's what she does isn't it?"

"That's not fair Sophie." Hardison said his anger also rising.

Sophie looked at the Hacker and was about to say something but then thought better of it. She was not being fair, but she could not help it. Parker had been thoughtless and that had led directly to Nate lying in that hospital room perhaps never going to come back to her. She was angry with the Thief, it had taken her so long to find the happiness she wanted with Nate and now she may lose it and it was directly because of the actions of the woman.

"No it's not…" She said shaking her head. "Look Hardison, I know I…I know it has been tense but I did not say anything to her, I haven't seen her."

"Fine…" Hardison said. "But then where is she, and why would she run now?"

"I don't know." Sophie said. She could not do this, she could not worry about Parker right now, she had to worry about Nate and him getting better. "I am going back to Nate. Let me know when you find her."

"If we find her…" Hardison hissed out angry at Sophie's attitude towards Parker and the fact that the woman had just disappeared.

"We'll find her…" Eliot said. He did not think anything had happened to the Thief, he knew Sophie was right, she had probably just run, why now he did not know, but they would find her. "Let's go…" He said pulling Hardison away as Sophie walked back into Nate's room and took her seat.

"She doesn't care…Parker is missing and she…"

"Calm down Hardison." Eliot told the Hacker.

"Calm down… calm down…Parker is missing…" Hardison said his eyes filling with tears of frustration and fear.

"Alec you need to calm down and think." Eliot said and the use of the man's first name caused Hardison to look at him and nod. "Where would Parker go, if she was scared and upset, you know her better than any of us, where would she go?"

"I don't…I don't know." Hardison said hesitantly. "But she would not leave Portland until she was sure Nate was going to be alright, she would stay around here." Hardison said with certainty.

"Ok well we will start with her safe houses…" Eliot said as they approached Lucille. "You drive." Eliot said throwing the keys to the Hacker. "You know where you are going." He said seeing the questioning look on the Hacker's face.

Eliot watched as Hardison climbed in and started the van. He wanted Hardison to drive, he wanted him to have something to do except sit and think about Parker and that she had run. He needed him to keep busy and besides he knew all or at least some of Parker's alternative homes and he didn't.

**So Parker has run away. Will they find her? Will Nate recover? Thanks for reading and taking the time to review all reviews are gratefully received.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

By the evening they had still had no luck finding Parker. Hardison and Eliot had been to all of her places, well at least all the ones that Hardison had any knowledge of. Of course the first place they went to is where Hardison had tracked her phone to although neither of thought they would find her there. They did find the phone and a note which simply ready "sorry" and "Goodbye". Hardison also noticed that certain objects were missing, ones he was sure she would not have taken if she was intending to return. It was clear that that they were not going to find the woman unless she wanted to be found. By six they had made their way back to the Hospital. Sophie was still sitting with Nate when they arrived.

"Any change?" Eliot asked. as she walked out the room.

"No…Any sign of Parker?"

"Do you care…?" Hardison said under his breath. As the day had drawn on he had become angrier with Sophie for treating Parker the way she had. If she had just shown a little less antagonism towards the woman she would not have run. He was still convinced that Sophie must have said something that made the girl run that morning.

"Yes Hardison I care." Sophie said looking at the Hacker hurt by the suggestion that she did not care about Parker, she cared she was just angry with her for her behaviour. "Of course I care."

"Well maybe if you hadn't behaved the way you did…"

"I was scared. I still am. Nate may die and…and I am scared, for him, for her, for us…" Sophie told the Hacker. "I'm sorry I just…" Sophie sighed heavily. "I can't lose him Hardison…"

"Don't you think she felt the same…?" Hardison asked. "Don't you think she was scared of losing him? Hell don't you think we all are? She got him into this so it is worse for her… and you... Don't you think Parker loves him as much as you do…she would do anything for him."

"Well she should have thought about that before pulling him into this situation." Sophie retorted her own anger building again. Yes she was wrong for the way she had treated the woman, but this was Nate they were talking about.

"You…"

"Enough." Eliot growled at them. "Enough. We are a family. Nate needs us to stand together, what do you think he would say to this…?" Eliot said waving his hand at both of them. "Hardison we will find Parker, we will. Nate will pull through and we will find Parker." Eliot said with determination in his voice. This was his family and he was damned if he was going to lose any one of them.

Sophie nodded and looked at Hardison who also nodded.

"Good. Now let's have some food." Eliot said taking the packet they had brought in and handed out the Chinese they had bought on their way to the hospital.

"She won't go far Hardison, not until she knows Nate is going to be fine. She will stay around at least until then." Sophie said between bites. "I know she loves him. I know what he means to her, to all of you. To all of us."

"She lost Archie and then Nate…she is in a bad place and now she thinks she has lost her family too." Hardison replied. He did not know what Parker would do. She would stay around waiting for news of Nate of that he was as sure as the others. She might even be watching them right now and they would never know. After that, he was afraid she would be gone, a ghost flitting back into the world she had come from and they would never see her again. The thought made his heart clench in fear.

"Well she hasn't. No matter what happens, even if Nate…" Eliot took a deep breath and looked directly at Sophie. "Even if Nate doesn't make it…we are still a family including Parker." Eliot was thinking the same thing as Hardison and if Parker was around and listening to them, then he wanted her to hear that.

Inside Nate's room a lithe figure dropped from one of the vents in the room. She approached Nate's bed making sure that she could not be seen from outside the room. This was the only time that Nate was left completely alone.

"I'm sorry Nate…" She said taking the limp hand of the Mastermind's in hers. "Please don't die."

Parker stood staring down at the man in the bed and then felt his hand twitch in hers. She immediately focused on the man and saw his eyelids flutter as he came back to consciousness.

"Parker…" Nate whispered as he looked up at blonde Thief.

"Nate…" Parker said tears falling from her eyes.

"Are you ok?" Nate asked his voice almost inaudible and weak.

"Oh Nate yes…yes it's over, Bogden's brother had us and then Bogden took you from the yacht and then you ran from them and then…"

"Slow down Parker…" Nate said closing his eyes. He was not following anything the woman said. All he knew was she was safe and they were in a hospital. Vaguely he wondered where the others were.

"Sorry…but you are safe and you are going to be alright…" Parker said squeezing his hand.

"Where is Sophie…" Nate asked fighting the blackness that called to him again.

"She's outside…" Parker said and then watched as Nate's eyes fell closed again and he sank back into unconsciousness. Parker put her hand on Nate's forehead and whispered a tearful goodbye to the Mastermind. Then she turned and climbed back into the vent closing it behind her.

Nate did not surface again until the next morning and when he did he found Sophie sitting beside him holding his hand. Hardison was sitting in the corner of the room working on his computer and Eliot stood by the door watching over all of them. He squeezed Sophie's hand and turned his head slightly to look at him.

"Soph…" He whispered.

"Nate…oh Nate welcome back sweetheart…" She said standing up and leaning over him with a smile on her face.

"Hey Nate…" Eliot said stepping forward to stand at the bed and Hardison was also up and at Nate's side the moment he heard Sophie.

"Hey…" He said with a weak smile. He looked around the bed and then frowned. "Where's Parker…?" He asked not seeing the blonde woman. He remembered her being at his bedside, speaking to her.

"She…she's just gone out for a moment darling." Sophie said not wanting to upset him. He had just woken up.

Nate looked up at Sophie and even in his current condition he could tell she was lying. Why would she lie? Had something happened to Parker? For a moment panic set in and his heartbeat increased as he swept his eyes around taking in Hardison's concerned features, something must have happened he thought as he saw Eliot's face darken at the question.

"What happened…where is Parker?" Nate said anxiously and the heart monitor he was attached to started to work overtime as his pulse raced.

"Shh…Nate nothing happened to Parker I promise…She's fine…" Sophie said just as anxiously. "She…she left after you…"

"She left…" Nate interrupted her. But she was here with him and he was sure that was not a dream he remembered talking to her. "But she was here…"

"When…?" Hardison immediately asked.

"I don't know…I…" Nate closed his eyes and tried to remember when he had spoken to her but everything was blurred, he did not know how long ago he had woken up to find Parker at his bedside, hell he did not even know how long he had been in the hospital. The last thing he really remembered was trying to phone Sophie and then nothing.

"What did she say…?" Hardison asked anxiously.

"She…she said something 'bout Bogden and his brother and…I don't know…" Nate said trying to recall the whole conversation. He did remember she had been crying. But Parker did not cry. Parker never cried, well except for when the psychic had brought up her brother but other than that, Parker did not cry. "We need to find her…" Nate said trying to push himself up in the bed but collapsing backwards in pain as he did so, his breath was coming in gasps at the effort and beads of sweat had started to gather on his forehead.

"Please Nate, please relax darling, Parker is fine and she will be back…please darling you need to relax…" Sophie said alarmed by the turn of events.

Nate had is eyes squeezed shut against the pain that was coursing through him and he could once again feel the darkness closing in. He fought to hold on, he needed to know what was happening with Parker but eventually he lost the battle against unconsciousness and was lost to them again.

"We have to find her and get her back here." Sophie said not looking at either of the two men standing at the bed as she ran her hand through Nate's sweat matted hair. Damn Parker…damn her for doing this. First she put him in the hospital and now, when he needed her to be there she disappeared. She never thought of anything or anyone but herself Sophie thought to herself her anger at the woman rising again. After everything Nate had done for her after everything he had taught her about family and being there for each other…she does this.

"The problem is we have no idea where to even start looking for her." Eliot said. "Nate said she was here, that he spoke to her. That means she knows Nate is going to be fine. That means…"

"She is in the wind." Hardison whispered. "We'll never find her…"

**Thanks again to for all the great reviews. So will they find Parker? Where do you think she would have gone? Will there be a confrontation between Sophie and Parker if they do find her. What will Nate do when he wakes again to find that Parker is still not there? What will Nate's reaction be to the fact that Parker left because of Sophie?**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Nate was in and out for the next few hours, surfacing for brief periods, during those times Sophie filled him in on what had happened to him and what was happening with Parker. She felt it was better she was honest with him; at least he could digest the information and know the woman was safe, just not with them at the time.

By the next morning Nate was feeling much better and was even able to sit up in his bed.

"Where have you looked for her?" Nate asked as they revisited the situation with Parker.

"Everywhere…" Hardison replied. He was finding it hard to deal with Parker's absence. He felt it was his fault that the woman had run. He should have said something to Sophie earlier about her attitude, he should have made her feel loved enough, secure enough in his love for her that she would never have run.

Nate looked at the Hacker and nodded.

"What are you thinking Nate?" Sophie asked seeing the look in his eye and knowing it meant he had an idea.

"I'm thinking that I need to get out of here." Nate said looking at the Grifter.

"No way Nate... You are not nearly ready to leave, you can barely sit up let alone walk out of here. The doctor…"

"It's done Sophie. I am leaving today." Nate said in a tone which indicated that he was not going to discuss the decision any further. "Hardison I want a plane ticket to LA."

"Ok…" Hardison said automatically and then frowning stared at the Mastermind. "Why?"

"Just get me a ticket." Nate said. He had an idea where Parker would be, but it was for a limited time only so he had to move now. "I want to leave this afternoon."

"Nate that is ridiculous…you can't…"

"Sophie…I have to go." Nate said looking at his wife and she could see the determination in his eyes. When Nate got like this there was no stopping him and either she went along or she would be left behind. "Eliot get the doctor."

Eliot looked at Nate but recognised the same thing Sophie had. There would be no stopping the Mastermind and why he wanted to go to LA he would tell them when he was good and ready. He nodded and left the room as Sophie helped Nate sit up fully in the bed. Then he pressed the call button brining the nurse into the room.

"Mr Ford?" The nurse asked as she entered. Then seeing the man sitting up with his legs hanging over the edge of the bed as if he was about to get out of it she moved forward quickly. "You should not be up Mr Ford. Please let me help…"

"Thanks but all you can do for me is remove this thing." Nate said indicating the IV in his arm. When the nurse looked at him with disbelieve he smiled at her. "I would do it myself but I thought it would be best if you did, along with all the rest of this stuff…" Nate said indicating all the machines he was still wired to. "We would not want to cause a fuss with alarms and things would we?" He asked raising his eyebrows at her.

The nurse stared at the man but did not move forward. Nate sighed and reached over to pull the needle out of his arm but before he could the doctor made his appearance.

"What do you think you are doing?" The doctor said striding into the room.

"I'm checking out of your establishment." Nate informed him. "I would appreciate it if you could arrange the AMA papers immediately."

"You cannot be serious." The doctor asked incredulously.

"Oh but I am doctor. Now could you ask the nurse here to take all of this off me before I start taking them off and setting off alarms everywhere." Nate smiled at the doctor.

"Detective you cannot allow this man to leave the hospital." The doctor said turning to Eliot.

Eliot raised his shoulders and rolled his eyes at the doctor.

"We can't stop him, just like you can't doc. We have to protect him but we can't make him stay here." Eliot said.

The doctor looked from Eliot to Nate and then sighed shaking his head.

"Nurse, remove the IV and make sure Mr Ford signs the AMA forms before he leaves. I will leave instructions on medication he is to take with him." The doctor said. There were plenty of people in the hospital who wanted his help, he was not going to waste his time on those who did not. "Mr Ford, I will warn you that if you reopen your wounds, especially the wound you received in your abdomen you could cause internal bleeding. The wound you received from the bullet has not had time to heal nor have your ribs. You lost a lot of blood and your body is still trying to heal from that. You're heart cannot take any kind of stress. In short Mr Ford, you could very well be signing your own death warrant by walking out of this hospital now."

"Thank you doctor…" Nate said trying to ignore the gasp from Sophie and the looks he was getting from both Hardison and Eliot. "But I have something I have to do and it can't wait."

"Fine but Mr Ford and you detectives, you have all been warned. This man is not in a condition to leave this hospital." He said and then turned and left without saying anything further. Once the doctor and the nurse had left Eliot turned to Nate.

"Firstly why LA and secondly this is a bad idea." He said. Nate smirked at him noting the priority of the questions.

"Parker is in LA and I have to go." Nate answered as he pushed himself to the edge of the bed and put his feet on the floor leveraging himself off the edge and almost falling flat on his face.

"Nate…" Sophie said catching him and steadying him. Eliot moved forward to stand on his other said holding him with Sophie. "You heard what the doctor said Nate, please don't do this…"

"We can go. Just tell us where." Eliot said.

"Why did she leave?" Nate asked as he started shuffling towards the bathroom. "Hardison get my clothes will you." He asked as he walked into the bathroom shaking off Eliot's arm but allowing Sophie to enter with him.

"Because she felt responsible for you being in hospital and almost dying…" Eliot responded to his first question.

"We don't have clothes here for you." Hardison said answering his second one.

"Then get me some." Nate told him. "Look guys, Parker left because of me and she is going to stay away unless I can talk some sense into her. Now I know I am not in the best condition to do this but it has to be done. I am sure she will be where I think she is but it is for a limited time only and once she goes underground, back to her old life, we will never find her again. Now Hardison, get me some clothes please."

"Come on…" Eliot said walking out the room followed by Hardison. Sophie helped Nate to sit down on the toilet and watched as he bowed his head catching his breath from the effort of moving the short distance from the bed.

"Nate…" Sophie said putting her hand on his back. "Parker…"

"She lost Archie Sophie. A man who she considered her 'father', she is scared and she is alone, she is blaming herself for Archie's death as well as for my situation and..." He said then looked up at her. "You are angry with her. Don't deny it, I can see it. Did you say something to her?"

"She shouldn't have put in that position...She almost got you killed…" Sophie said feeling like she needed to defend herself.

"Yes she did. I am glad she called because I would rather be looking for her alive than looking for her body. Sophie…" Nate said taking her hand in his. "I know you are scared, I know you thought you lost me and I think I know what happened with Parker. Now there is no blame to go around, let's just get our family back together ok?"

"I didn't say anything to her to make her run." Sophie said still feeling defensive and not liking it at all. Nate should be on her side in this not Parkers.

"I'm not on either 'side' Sophie." Nate said knowing she was thinking that he was siding with Parker on this. Knowing she felt guilty about Parker leaving and knowing that even though she did, she still felt Parker should not have endangered him. "I love you more than anything in the world. But Parker is family, just like Hardison and Eliot and…"

"And you would fall on your own sword to protect them..." Sophie blurted out tears forming in her eyes.

"Sophie…"

"That's one of the reasons I love you…" She said leaning in and kissing him gently. "And hate you… You are so…so damn obstinate, and…and…oh Nate I'm sorry I just…I can't lose you…" Sophie said feeling the emotion welling within her again as she thought how close she had come to losing this man and it infuriated her that he thought so little of his own life that he would sacrifice it without hesitation.

"Shhhh…It's ok, we're ok…so let's go get our girl and then I promise you I will let you take good care of me." He smiled trying to lighten the mood.

"I love you so much…maybe too much…" Sophie said softly. "It scares me sometimes…"

"A lot…but never too much…" Nate said pulling her down and kissing her. "I love you too Sophie…more than you know."

"Ok I got the clothes…" Hardison said walking into the room and catching Nate and Sophie's kiss. "Ah man…" He said turning his head and holding out the clothes for Sophie. Sophie and Nate smiled at him and then closed the door to the room.

"The tickets Hardison…" Nate's voice drifted through the door.

"Done, we are all on the next flight out." Hardison called back. "We are going to have to make some time though, it leaves in two hours."

"Ok…Eliot why don't you and Hardison go get Lucille so long." Nate said. He was weak and could feel just the slight effort he had made had brought him close to exhaustion, never mind the pain it was causing him, but he knew he had to fight through it. He had to get to Parker before it was too late and they lost her forever.

"And Hardison drop off a wheelchair before you leave." Sophie's voice followed Nate's.

"I'll get the wheelchair you get the van to the front door." Eliot said. Hardison nodded and disappeared out of the room while Eliot followed him out and walked to the Nurses' station.

Ten minutes later he was pushing Nate out of the hospital in the wheelchair with Sophie walking beside him.

"How do you know she is going to be in LA?" Eliot asked as they walked.

"Archie…" Nate said.

"Archie…?" Eliot repeated a frown appearing on his face.

"Archie's family live in LA...That is where they will bury him and she will be at the funeral, she won't be able to stay away." Nate explained.

Eliot stared down at the man. How the hell did he know that and why in hell did they not think of it?

"When is the funeral?"

"That I don't know. But all of this started a few days ago right. So Archie was killed here. There would have been an autopsy and then they would have had to make arrangements to have the body released from the authorities here and taken back to LA then the arrangements for the funeral itself... I doubt it could have taken place yet. Hardison can you check that for us?"

By the time they got to the airport Hardison had found out that the funeral for Archie would be taking place in two days from then in LA as Nate had said it would be. The flight was uneventful and by the time they arrived at the hotel that Hardison had arranged for them Nate was completely exhausted. Eliot and Sophie both had to hold him up to get him to the room and then he collapsed into the bed and immediately sank into sleep.

"Eliot this is not good for him, who knows how much damage he is doing with all this…?" Sophie said as she threw a blanked over him and then sat down at his side. His hair was matted with sweat and his breathing was shallow, she felt for his pulse and even in unconsciousness she could feel it was fast, too fast as far as she was concerned. He should be in a hospital not traipsing around the country looking for Parker.

"Yeah…well we don't exactly have an option." Eliot said just as unhappy with the situation as Sophie was. "He can rest for the rest of today and the whole of tomorrow though."

"Yes…I suppose so…" Sophie said running her hand through his hair. Then she looked up at Eliot. "Do you think he is right, do you think Parker is here? I mean do you think she will turn up at the funeral, I wouldn't have thought so."

"Maybe not before, but after the Dam Job he became…well more than just the person who taught her to steal. Anyway, Nate thinks she will and as you know he is usually right." Eliot sighed.

"Yes he is…" Sophie said softly. "Well let's let him rest. I'll check on him again later. We need to find out where the funeral is going to be held and have all the information on the arrangements for Nate. I don't want him exerting himself any more than he has too."

They both exited the room leaving the door open though so that if there was a problem they would be aware of it immediately. Then the three of them sat down in the living area of the suite and got to work finding out everything about the up-coming funeral of Archie Leech.

**Is Nate right and will Parker be at the funeral? Thank you for the great reviews I really enjoy having feedback on the story and it keeps me motivated to write more.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Nate and the others sat in the rented van in the cemetery that Archie Leech was to be buried in. There had been no sign of Parker at the services and all of them were starting to believe Nate had made a mistake and that Parker was not going to show. Nate however said nothing and after the service he instructed Hardison to drive to the cemetery and then laboriously climbed out of the van once all the mourners were gathered around the coffin.

"Stay here…all of you." Nate said, he did not want them there because Parker might run if she saw all of them heading for her.

"Nate you can't…"

"I'll be fine. Just stay here…please…" Nate said his eyes begging her to just trust him and let him do this.

"Fine…" Sophie said sitting back in her seat pouting. The other two nodded although Nate could see neither one was particularly happy about it.

"You will however take this with you." Eliot said taking one of the coms from Hardison.

"Eliot…"

"No arguments Nate. I don't know if Parker is here, but if you get into trouble…"

"There is not going to be any trouble, nobody is out there lurking…"

"Nathan Ford you will take the com and if you feel that you…if you get into any kind of difficulty…if…"

"Ok…ok…" Nate said holding up his hands in defeat then taking the com he put it in his ear. He realised what this was about. He was asking them to let him go alone and without support. It was not somebody attacking him they were afraid of…it was of him having a heart attack or something.

The three of them watched him walk away from them, he walked slowly and they could see that each step was difficult and laboured.

"Where are you going…" Eliot said as Hardison climbed out the van.

"Going after him…" Hardison said. "Oh come on like you two weren't about to go yourselves…"

"Let's go…" Sophie said as she heard Nate's laboured breath over the coms.

Parker stood against a tree a fair distance from the actual funeral. She did not feel that she could intrude. Although Archie was her…well he took her in, if not to his family to his world and he trained her and he made her what she was today. Actually she thought, that was wrong, he made her into the Thief she was. He had trained her, nurtured her talent and taught her how to survive in her world. She had never seen him as a father figure…well maybe in the beginning but when it became clear that although he cared for her, he was not her family, he did not consider her family. Nate, now Nate was the person who had made her who she was today. He had given her the security and the confidence to expand herself from just a Thief to a real person, one that loved, that had people who loved her. She could feel the tears forming again as she thought about the man lying in a hospital room far away, a man she would never see again, a family she would never see again. She cared for Archie and she would do anything for him, he was the first man who had treated her like a human being and had not wanted to hurt her or use her, for that she would always love him, but he was not her family, he had never wanted to be that. Nate had looked passed her insecurities, looked passed her inability to relate to people her oddities, in fact he had embraced them and taught her how to use them, to understand them and work with them. He had never given up on her, never wanted to change her and always, always was there for her. Now she had lost both men who meant so much to her. She had lost Archie to death, and Nate…Parker swallowed the lump in her throat as she thought of the Mastermind. She had not only lost Nate, but Sophie, a woman she adored and admired and Eliot who had become like an older brother to her and…and Hardison, a man she loved. Nate had given her that too, the ability to let people in, to love, as broken as he had been when they had come together, he had been able to put her broken pieces into a whole. But Sophie was right, she had to leave, she had to be alone or she would get one of them killed and she would rather live her life alone than do that. So lost was the little Thief in thought that she did not hear Nate approach and almost jumped out of her skin when she heard his voice behind her.

"You know he cared deeply for you." Nate said and to the others it seemed he was talking to nobody. They could not see Parker standing on the other side of the tree. "He was proud of you and what you have grown into…just like I am."

"How did you find me?" Parker asked hiding her shock at Nate having found her and being there. "Shouldn't you be in hospital?" Parker turned to look at him and saw that he was sweating profusely and even though he hid it well, he was in tremendous pain.

"Parker, running away isn't the answer." Nate said ignoring her questions.

"I could have gotten you killed. Sophie was right, I don't think about anything but myself. But when Archie called he said it would be easy, that there was little to no danger…" Parker said trying to justify her actions to the man. "I didn't know…I swear…and then…"

"Parker stop…" Nate commanded his voice firm and had the tone he used when he wanted to be obeyed. Parker stopped speaking and stared at the Mastermind. "Firstly, Sophie was scared, she was scared and she did not mean what she said. If you had called and it was her at home she would have come for you, any one of us would have because we are a family. Secondly, Archie would never have put you in danger intentionally, he cared for you too much for that, what happened was no one's fault, it was unexpected and it was unfortunate but it happened. Third I am glad you called. You have come such a long way Parker. You have grown and you have developed and you have a family you can rely on, I am glad you realise that."

"But Sophie was right…you nearly died Nate…you nearly died and I…" Parker said tears now streaming down her face. "I don't deserve to…" She stuttered to a halt and bowed her head not able to look the Mastermind in the eye.

"You stop that right now Parker." Nate said grabbing the woman's shoulder with his one hand and lifting her head up with the other. "You deserve us as much as we deserve you. Don't ever forget how important you are to us…to me."

Parker just stared at the Mastermind not knowing what to say to that.

"Parker you need to promise me something…" Nate said as he wiped his hand over his forehead which was now wet with perspiration.

"What…?" Parker asked softly, the implied 'anything' as plain as day in her tone.

"You will never run away again…" Nate said leaning even more heavily on the tree now. "I need to know you will never run again, not from us, not from your family…no matter what. I learned from you and from them that only the people you love can get you through the times you didn't know you could get through, help you cope with the heaviest burden you could imagine…Parker…" Nate said then suddenly he doubled over before he could finish speaking his breath coming in gasps as his knees buckled.

Parker moved at lightning speed catching him before he crashed to the ground and sank to the ground herself cradling his head in her lap.

"Promise me Parker…" Nate said his voice barely a whisper.

"I promise Nate…" Parker said her voice shaky and her eyes filled with tears. She heard the others running towards her as she looked down at the Mastermind who was now unconscious.

Eliot knelt down beside him and noted his breathing was laboured, he felt for his pulse, it was weak and thready, his skin was clammy.

"Parker…" Eliot's voice came through to her. "Parker we need to get him to a hospital…"

"Parker…" Sophie's soft voice filled her ears and she looked up at the woman her eyes wet with her tears. "Let Eliot take him…" She said trying desperately to contain her own fears as she pulled the Thief into her arms and Eliot lifted Nate into his and started back to the van.

"Sophie…I…he…"

"It's ok Parker…It's ok…" Sophie said holding Parkers hand and pulling her along with her as she followed Eliot.

**Thank you all for the great reviews they are so greatly appreciated. I am so glad you are all still enjoying the story. So do you think Nate pushed himself too far…? What will Sophie have to say to Parker when they finally have their talk? Will Parker run again despite her promise?**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

They made good time to the nearest hospital where Nate was taken into the ER and they were left to wait for news. Before long a doctor approached them.

"Mrs Ford…?" He asked.

"Yes…is my husband alright?"

"I'm afraid he had a rather serious cardiac event, we are not sure what the cause is, we are doing some tests now…" The doctor said looking sympathetically at her. "I could not help noticing the injuries you husband has sustained. I need to know exactly what the medical condition of your husband is if I am to treat him. He is stable for now but it seems there are other underlying problems which I cannot deal with without his medical history."

"Here…" Eliot said handing over a file to the doctor. Sophie looked at him and raised her eyebrows.

"I thought we might need it." Was all Eliot said in reply to the unasked question. He had made sure he had taken a copy of the file from the hospital Nate was treated at in Boston. He knew the Mastermind was in a bad way and the chances were that there would be problems with him leaving the hospital so soon.

"Thank you this will help." The doctor said looking up from the file. Before he could say any more they heard alarms going off and he was summoned back into the room.

A few minutes later Nate was pushed out of the room with one nurse holding a bag over his mouth pumping him with oxygen, he was obviously not breathing on his own anymore.

"Doctor…" Sophie called as she followed the gurney towards the elevator doors.

"We need to get him to surgery now." The doctor said as they pushed him into the elevator. "I will let you know as soon as there is any news." He said as the elevator doors closed.

"Oh God Nate…" Sophie said holding her hand against the elevator doors tears streaming from her eyes. Nate had looked so pale, so fragile…so…so…still… she thought to herself. Why damn you, why could you not have just stayed in hospital and looked after yourself for once…her mind screamed at him.

"Sophie…" Eliot said taking the woman by the shoulders and turning her around to face him. "Let's go to the waiting room. The nurse said she would make sure the doctor knew where to find us."

Sophie just stared at the Hitter, she was numb, for the second time in only a few days she had to wait for a doctor to come and tell her if her husband was alive or dead and she just couldn't do it anymore. Emotionally she was drained, she felt like curling up into a ball and just letting everything go, but looking up at Eliot and seeing the care and concern in his eyes, she nodded and let him lead her back to the waiting area the nurse had shown them too. He sat her down and then sat down beside her not letting his hand and leave her. Hardison and Parker also took seats and the long wait started. Nobody spoke. Sophie clutched onto Eliot's hand like it was her only lifeline and Hardison wrapped Parker in his arms rubbing his hand up and down her arm soothingly.

Two hours later the doctor made an appearance.

"Mrs Ford." He said as he walked up to them.

"My husband…."

"He made it through surgery. A small splinter of rib bone managed to work its way to the heart and lodged in the outer wall. It caused a bleed into his chest cavity. This in turn put pressure on the lungs causing respiratory distress, it also placed extreme pressure on his heart. He went into cardiac arrest twice and respiratory arrest three times during the surgery. He also lost a substantial amount of blood. We repaired the damage to the heart and drained the chest cavity. We have him on a ventilator as he is not breathing on his own."

"How…why…" Hardison said trying to fathom what the doctor was saying. Surely this should not have happened. Nate had been fixed up in Portland, they would have noticed that the rib was splintering and done something about it wouldn't they…?

"If I were to guess, during the first injuries his rib was damaged more than what was thought. I am sure that the initial blood loss and the trauma from the gunshot wound and the knife wound took precedence. It is easily missed. Then, through the stress put on himself by flying from Portland so soon after the trauma and without giving his body adequate time to heal added to that any physical activity he may have done, dislodged a small splinter which as I said managed to find its way to his heart, the rest of the damage to his lungs and respiratory system was caused by the gradual build-up of blood in the chest cavity which put pressure on his lungs and his heart as well."

"But he is going to be alright?" Sophie asked her eyes wide as she listened to what the doctor was saying.

"Your husband is very weak Mrs Ford. He lost a lot of blood, more than anyone should. His heart is under severe pressure and as I said he is not breathing on his own at the moment. The dangers of him going into cardiac arrest are I am afraid to say, very real. He is holding his own for now, but…"

"What are you saying…?" Sophie asked her voice betraying her fear.

"I am saying that we have done all we can for him, there is nothing more we can do. Only time will tell if he will recover, and it is largely up to him from here on in."

"He's…he's going to…to…die…" Parker gasped out stuttering through the words as her mind tried to comprehend the doctors meaning.

"I am not saying that…But as I said, he is very weak and at the moment it is not looking good for him. I am sorry but it is better that you prepare yourselves for the worst." The doctor replied his voice soft and full of sympathy. "As soon as they have moved him into his room from recovery you can see him."

As they waited for the nurse to come and get them Eliot signalled to Hardison. Hardison looked at Parker and then detached himself and walked over to Eliot who had moved a slight distance away from the girls.

"Hardison…I…I don't think Nate is going to make it this time…" Eliot said and for the first time since he had known the Hitter Eliot had tears in his eyes and his voice was shaking with emotion.

"Don't say that…don't even think it man…" Hardison hissed back keeping his voice low so that it did not carry to Parker or Sophie.

"Dammit Hardison…" Eliot said taking the man by the arm and squeezing. "We can all go in and see him…all of us, no time limit…don't you get it…"

"Get what man…?"

"He's saying we can all go and say goodbye…"

"Oh God…" Hardison said letting out a breath and feeling unwanted tears pricking at his eyes. Eliot was right. With Nate in the condition he was, usually the doctors were very strict about visitors…only one at a time and only for a few minutes and…Oh God he thought, Eliot was right.

"If…if he doesn't…if he…dies…" Eliot said trying desperately to keep his own emotions in check. "We have to be prepared because Sophie and Parker…they…" Eliot bit his lower lip as he looked at the two girls who sat alone not looking at each other. "It's up to us to keep this family together. That is what Nate wanted more than anything…that is why he risked leaving the hospital…that is why we are here…"

Hardison looked at Eliot and nodded. Then he turned back and went to sit with Parker again. He took her in his arms and squeezed her tightly, not quite able to contain the tears that now silently escaped from him. Eliot watched the Hacker and then went to sit with Sophie again taking her hand and gently squeezing it, letting her know she was not alone.

The nurse came to get them about thirty minutes later. As they followed her Parker stopped pulling her hand away from Hardison and backing away from the group. Everybody stopped and turned to face the woman, Sophie glared at her daring her to run again.

Parker stared back at them. Although she wanted to run, to get away from Sophie's accusing eyes, she would not, could not run. She had promised Nate and she would keep her promise. But she could not go in there. This was her fault, she had caused the Mastermind to be lying in a hospital bed and this time Nate was going to die and it was because of her, this time there was no doubt it was her fault. She looked down and away from the others not wanting them to see her distress. When she looked up again Sophie was standing in front of her with Eliot and Hardison flanking her. Eliot was ready for Sophie to burst and so was Hardison.

Sophie stopped in front of Parker. She wanted to lash out, to yell and scream and curse the woman. She had done this. She was the reason Sophie could be losing the man she had loved for so much of her life. She was the reason they were here. She had caused this and because of her this might be the last hours she ever spent with Nate, here in this damn hospital, a place he hated, a place he feared. But instead she held out her hand to her. Her eyes were filled with tears as Parker looked up at her. If this was goodbye, if Nate was going to die, then she was going to honour his last wishes. His last words were those of love for his family, of his need, his desire for them to stay together as a family. She had to honour that, no matter how much inner turmoil she had with regards Parker and her actions, no matter how she felt she had to do that, for Nate.

Parker looked up at Sophie and saw the sadness, mixed with so many other emotions on the woman's face. She saw the hand extended to her and was not sure what to do. Instinctively she reached out and took Sophie's hand, clinging to the woman as tears of sorrow and regret streamed down her face. Sophie turned without saying a word and without releasing Parker's hand, and walked back to the nurse who had waited watching the scene play out, she smiled at them and then led them forward to Nate's room.

Sophie stopped briefly at the door of the room as she caught sight of him. He lay on the pristine white sheets of the hospital surrounded by machines. His face obscured by the ventilator pipe that protruded out of his mouth. Wires and tubes connected Nate to various machines and bags filled with fluids, either removing them from or pumping them into his body. The top half of his body was bare exposing the long white bandage that covered the incision the doctors had made into his chest. There were tubes leading out of the wound draining the excess blood that still lurked there. He looked lifeless and if it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest and the slow beeping from the heart monitor which seemed to fill the room she would have sworn he was. His skin was white and when she eventually walked to his side and placed her hand on his, he felt cold to the touch. Eliot stood beside her ready to support her if she needed it. Parker had released her hand and stood beside Hardison on the other side of the bed. Parker too had reached out and placed her hand on Nate's as they stood silently watching him.

"We are here Nate. Your family is here…" She looked up at Parker before continuing. "We are all here…and we love you. I love you my darling…" She said reaching over and placed her hand on his head. "I love you…I know you will come back to me, to us…because this family needs you…I need you." She whispered.

**Is this the end for Nate? Will Sophie really be able to honour his wishes if he does die? Thank you all for reading and taking the time to review, it is, as always greatly appreciated.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

For two days they stayed with Nate, none of them willing to leave, all of them fearing that if they did, Nate would slip away without them being there. They sat mostly in silence listening to the steady beep from the machines, which was reassuring to them because it let them know that Nate was still fighting on.

Eliot kept his eyes fixed on the monitors noting that Nate's blood oxygen levels had dropped which meant that his heart was not coping, his blood pressure was also ominously low and it was only a matter of time the Hitter thought to himself, tearing his eyes away from the monitors to focus on Sophie.

She sat by Nate's side not once letting go of his hand. She had not slept for two days now and it was showing on her face and in her posture. She was near collapse, both physically and emotionally. Parker was not much better having been sitting opposite the Grifter also clinging to Nate's hand only letting it go when the nurses asked her to move so that they could do their checks. Hardison stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders, every now and then he would sit down next to her but the Hacker seemed unable to be still. Eliot on the other hand stood rock steady at the end of the bed watching over them all.

As the time passed and the second day of their vigil turned into evening one of the many machines connected to Nate started to wail out in alarm. Sophie was immediately standing and leaning over Nate desperately telling him to hold on, not to give up, not to let go, crying out to him that she loved him. The doctors rushed into the room along with the nurses, one of which herded them all out of the room as the doctors started to work on Nate.

Eliot paced outside the door to Nate's room hearing the shouting of orders and then the distinctive buzz of the defibrillators as they charged them. He glanced at Sophie who sat rocking herself as tears fell from her eyes. Parker clung to Hardison and both of them stared at the door to Nate's room. Eliot heard the doctors should 'clear' and heard the pop as they shocked Nate. Then he heard only silence before the doctor's voice drifted through the door.

"It's over…he's gone…time of death…"

Eliot's breath caught as he heard the muffled words and he clenched his fists tight. He stopped pacing and turned to look at Sophie who sat with her eyes shut trying to close out the world as she waited for the doctors. He looked to Parker and Hardison. Hardison looked up meeting his eyes and read the message in them. Nate was gone. Hardison bent his head tucking it into Parkers hair and closed his eyes giving into the emotion that overwhelmed him. Eliot stepped away from the door steeling himself for what was to come. He could not let emotion take him, he had to be the strong one, the one who always held it together. He stepped forward to join Sophie, wrapping his arms around the woman and holding her as they waited for the doctor, for what Eliot knew would be the news of Nate's death.

Inside Nate's room the doctor stepped away from the patient. This was not the first he had lost and it would not be the last. He took the chart from the nurse as one of the other nurses moved to cover the body. She leaned over him to move his hand to his side and stopped.

"He's…he's breathing…" She said bringing the doctors attention to her. "He's breathing…" She said leaning in and immediately placing her hand on his neck to feel for a pulse. Incredibly it was there. The doctor moved to her side and examined Nate.

"Well I'll be damned." The doctor said as he quickly got to work. The nurse reconnected the machines and immediately the heart monitor sprung to life with weak sinus rhythm. "I am going to remove the intubation, he's breathing on his own…" The doctor said as he stepped to the back of Nate's bed and then removed the pipe from the Mastermind's throat. The doctor was not sure how this was possible, however it was not unheard of and obviously this man was not ready to die just yet. He finished checking Nate and then made some notes on his chart before leaving the room to speak to the patients' family.

"Mrs Ford…" The doctor said stepping out into the hall.

Sophie's head snapped up at his voice and she shook Eliot's arm from her as she stood to face the doctor.

"Is he…?" She said she stopped and swallowed hard unable to bring herself to say the words. Eliot watched her and the doctor and waited for her world to crumble.

"No." The doctor said and this time it was Eliot's head that snapped around. He had heard the man call time of death.

"We lost him…he was clinically dead but…" The doctor said shaking his head slightly at the memory of what had happened. "He is breathing on his own now, we removed the ventilator and he has a strong sinus rhythm." He continued. "Mrs Ford I cannot explain what happened, why he has made this recovery, but I believe that his will, his mind, is stronger than his body and that he was not ready to die."

Sophie stared at the doctor trying to comprehend what the doctor was saying and then she smiled at him. No, Nate was not ready to die, he was not ready to leave her, leave them. Pushing passed the doctor without a word she entered Nate's room. She walked up to Nate's bed and leaned in looking at his face which was now free of the obstruction of the ventilator. He had more colour to his cheeks and she could have sworn he felt warmer to the touch as she put her hand on his forehead. She leaned in and placed a soft gentle lingering kiss to his lips and smiled.

"Thank you my darling…I knew you would never leave me." She whispered.

Eliot thanked the doctor and then the three of them entered the room just in time to hear Sophie's whisper to Nate. Eliot stared at the Mastermind and shook his head, the man never ceased to amaze him. Nate was a survivor, he always seemed to beat the odds, even when there seemed no way he could. He watched as Parker went to stand on the opposite side from Sophie and saw their eyes meet.

"I WAS angry with you Parker. I was. I was furious but I never meant you to leave. You are as much family as Nate is." Sophie told her reaching out over Nate and taking Parker's hand. "I was even more angry when coming after you caused…this…but Nate was right…he mostly is…" She smiled. "You are family, and we do these things for family…just like he did for you, just like any one of us would do for you, and what you would do for us."

"But what you said…You were right…" Parker said.

"Yes about that…I never said anything…" Sophie said lifting an eyebrow at her.

"You did to him." Parker said looking down at Nate. Sophie frowned and then a small smiled touched her lips as she realised what must have happened.

"Well serves you right for eavesdropping young lady…" She said softly. Parker smiled at Sophie and nodded a tear slipping from her eye as Sophie said so much more with her look than she could ever say with words. They stood holding hands and looking at each other for a long while until Sophie squeezed her hand and then let go sitting down to take Nate's hand instead.

Hardison moved in to stand behind Parker placing a kiss on the top of her head and his hands on her shoulders. Eliot watched and smiled to himself as he cast his eyes on Nate's monitors and saw that the Mastermind was stronger than he had been since they had come here and for the first time in two days he relaxed slightly.

It was three am when Nate gingerly opened his eyes for the first time since his collapse. He felt his arms were weighed down by something and almost panicked before he realised it was Sophie sleeping on the one side and Parker on the other. Hardison sat beside Parker also passed out his head cradled in his arms on the bed. Looking up he saw Eliot still standing his post at the foot of his bed.

"That was stupid and irresponsible and this time you almost didn't make it." Eliot told the Mastermind as he locked eyes with him. "How are you feeling…?" He finished smiling at the man.

"Like I was hit by a bus…" Nate said his voice hoarse. "Water…?" He asked.

Eliot nodded and moved to his bedside table and poured him a glass of water putting a straw in it and then holding it out for the Mastermind to drink. "Not too much…" Eliot said as Nate drank greedily.

"Thanks…" Nate said feeling a little better as the cool liquid slid down his throat.

"How long…?"

"Two days."

"How are they…"

"Fine…exhausted but fine."

"Thank you Eliot."

"For what…?"

"For being you…For taking care of them….For taking care of me. If something had happened I knew you would be able to hold them together." Nate said softly closing his eyes. "I couldn't let her go…"

"I know." Eliot said feeling a lump in his throat from Nate's words. The trust this man had in him to take care of his family was, well more than he ever expected when he had started this journey so many years before. They had come a long way, this team, this family, and he would not change it for the world.

"I'm tired."

"You need to rest."

"You too…" Nate smiled at him and then drifted back to sleep. Eliot smiled back at him and waited until the man's breathing became smooth and even again. Then the Hitter moved one of the chairs to the side of his bed, next to Sophie and laid his head down on the bed and for the first time in almost three days drifted off to sleep as well.

**Well that is the end…sorry if I gave you all a heart attack but a happy ending after all, I will leave the actual recovery to your imaginations... Thank you all so very much for reading the story and taking the time to review, follow, or favorite the story. All of your support is really greatly appreciated. To huttonfan, Sphinxius, Carebear818, ThunderAllAround, stellaru, february28, Sandy-wmd, Grifter for Life, Broadwaybaby21, leveragus and a special thank you to YeahLev who gave me the idea. Again to all of you who favorited and followed the story thanks. Until next time.**


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